Under the Clouds Once More

Under the Clouds Once More

Oil on canvas, 12x24

Pretty much from the beginning of my painting career, I've been interested not in abstract paintings per se, but in making the representational landscape more abstract. 

I've never strived to create photographic realism, but to create paintings that evoke the emotions I felt when I was painting, and open a space for you to feel something, too - ideally, something as strong and vibrant as what I was feeling. 

It seems to me that the looser the painting, the better chance you have of creating your own emotional landscape, your own emotional reality. 

Surprisingly, it's really difficult to straddle that line between realism and abstraction - at least it is for me! 

This small piece is a somewhat more abstract version of a larger, more realistic painting I made recently (click here to see it).  I'm very interested to know what you think of them - which you prefer, what your thoughts are on realism vs. abstraction, which approach you respond to more.