Alternate Outcomes and the Marriage of Painting and Collage

It can begin by simply brushing texture onto a page. That's what I remember about the origins of this piece, anyway. I started out by brushing thick layers of white acrylic paint onto paper, with the bristles of the brush creating ridges in the white expanse. Three colors-- orange, purple, and deep pink-- told me it was their time, so I found them among the dozens of tubes of acrylic paint colors, mixed them with small amounts of water, and squeezed them onto the still wet white paint. I left the paper lying flat and then walked away. 

During the night, the watery paint followed the path of least resistance across the page, leaving behind paths and pools of intriguing shapes, lines, and patterns. Although I enjoyed the combination of colors and the juxtaposition of textures I found the next morning, I knew it wasn't finished. The idea of tiles of color depicting similar images danced in my head, along with the fact that different sections of the piece had different stories to tell. So instead of adding water or more paint to alter the look, I picked up the paper, walked over to the paper cutter, and began to cut. Three cuts later, and the imagined tiles were sitting before me. 

To create the background, I started with a layer of white acrylic paint, and while still wet, overlaid with a wash of soft orange watercolor, using broad strokes to emphasize the movement. As I began to arrange the colored tiles, the theme of alternate outcomes was forming in my mind. I thought about how the choices we make and the actions we take inform the outcome of a given situation. With that idea, I knew that the tiles needed to physically connect in some way, and the piece took shape as:

"Alternate Outcomes"

This piece marked my first, albeit basic, marriage of painting and collage, which is an avenue that I would go on to explore in subsequent work. It marked a turning point in my relationship with my work because I realized that sometimes putting paint onto a page tells only part of the story. The pre-2007 artist in me never would have entertained that notion. After all, in artwork, just like in life, there can be alternate outcomes.

Featured in this post: Alternate Outcomes
All current artwork can be found in my profile at Fine Art America. Thank you for your time and your support.