Abstract Paintings - June/15

Palimpsests

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word palimpsest means:

  1. A manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original writing has been effaced to make room for later writing
   2. Something reused or altered, but still bearing visible traces of it's earlier form.

A good buddy of mine, who is a whiz at the English language pointed out to me that this is a very good description of my work. I had never heard the word, but he is spot on. I have long been interested in calligraphic marks that are layered and obfuscated, combining automatic drawing with a more conscious editing process. To that end, here are my latest batch of paintings.

Samsara - acrylic on canvas - 29.5"H × 37"W - see more info

Samsara - detail

Wonderland - acrylic on canvas - 29"W × 36.5"H - see more info

Wonderland - detail

Squash Blossom - acrylic on canvas - 26"H × 31"W - see more info

Squash Blossom - detail

Luxor - acrylic on canvas - 25"H × 31"W - see more info

Luxor - detail

Abstract Paintings - April-May/15

Dance of the Wrist

An art consultant called me the other day. She had been looking at my site and was struck by the musicality in my paintings. I was flattered!  My paintings reflect the rhythm of the music I listen to as I paint. As a musician and painter I find each discipline influences the other.  I always have music playing in my studio, ranging from aggressive hard rock to cool jazz. In many respects my paintings are a visual representation of those musical tastes, and the collaboration produces what I think of as a dance of the wrist. A good buddy also brought to my attention that the term " dance of the wrist" could have a different connotation. Dude! Get your mind out of the gutter!

See more work on my site: www.halmayforth.com

Lavender Hill - acrylic on canvas - 29 × 38

Lavender Hill - Detail

Aubade - acrylic on canvas - 29.5 × 37.5

Aubade - Detail

Abstract Paintings - April / 2015

Here is what transpired on the big wall in my studio during the month of April. I have been experimenting with large hog bristle brushes for bold marks, juxtaposing them with smaller more delicate marks made by sable brushes. For both these paintings, I started out with a very quick gesture drawing in pencil to establish a rhythm. What interests me in doing these paintings is the process and the slow revelation of the finished product. Click here to check out my fine art site.

Spellbound - acrylic on canvas - 29.5"H × 37"W - more info

Spellbound - detail

Zydeco - acrylic on canvas - 30"H × 38"W - more info

Zydeco - detail

Abstract Paintings - March / 2015

Lately I have been changing the ways I approach these paintings.Sometimes I cover the canvas with marks and make my way back to the finished painting by erasing, adding and painting over elements. Other times I will make a mark and explore the area around that mark with color and further markings, building the composition as I go along. In this way the painting develops organically. Here are two new paintings that illustrate those two methods.

Madagascar - Acrylic on Canvas - 30"H × 42.5"W - More info here.

Madagascar detail

Alpenglow - Acrylic on Canvas - 31.5"H × 42.5"W - More info here.

Alpenglow - detail

Recent Humorous Paintings and Sketches

Here are some recent humorous paintings and the sketches from which they came. I continue to draw every morning as I have for the past 40 years. What I truly enjoy about my morning drawing routine is what presents itself out of thin air. They have been added to my Humorous Prints site and are available as high end giclee prints. See them here.

Abstract Paintings Feb/2015

Lately I've been experimenting with dotted and dashed lines. In my mind dotted lines always indicated formality. The formality of charts and diagrams. In these paintings I tried to steer the lines away from being informative, and by layering and obscuring them, bring a little mystery to them.

Carnival - Acrylic on Canvas - 31"W × 29"H - More information here.

Flutter - Acrylic on Canvas - 31"W × 28"H - More information here.

New Abstract Paintings - Jan-early Feb

Here are some new abstracts that I have done since the first of the year. Working with hard edges and trying to get rid of hard edges.

Phantasm - Acrylic on Canvas - 20"H ×42"W -  More info here.

Phantasm - Detail

Hen's Teeth - Acrylic on Canvas - 31"H × 43"W - More info here.