ANOTHER TALE continues my nearly 20 year interest in Africa’s Serengeti, now visualized as abstracted forms from nature and a palette borrowed from the rich hues of tribal African textile. Collage has also informed my interpretation of the Serengeti sky, Kopjes rock formations, termite mounds and Black Thorn Acacia trees.

This exhibition features large oil paintings and several smaller works, all on cradled birch panels. This prepared surface plays a large part in my process. I stain and paint areas of the panels while selectively exposing the white of the prepared board. Lyrical and vigorous brush strokes offer a counterpoint to my geometric shapes. I also use the whiteness of the panel as part of my palette which requires some forethought in the process. With each color, I selectively stain and create shapes which requires me to work on several boards at once. Sometimes, I wipe out a day’s work to preserve a sense of immediacy. Other times, I leave it to dry so as to create a visual history.

As mentioned above, one of my favorite subjects is the Black Thorn Acacia. In bloom, this tree presents a dazzle of white cotton flowers. Yet, hidden amongst thick clusters of white are 4″ black thorns. Like much in this environment, danger is hidden to the uninformed eye which I find quite intriguing.

Another source of inspiration are termite mounds. These enormous castle-like structures rise twice my height, in colors of red, black, brown and even white depending upon the adjacent soil. It’s a place where strangers encounter false entrances with no exit…