My latest joy is in painting works that are non-objective, or pure-abstract, meaning that they are filled with shapes, colors, patterns, swirls and more.  They are more about emotion and getting swept up in the moment,  more so than trying to represent a recognizable object.  For many years, I feared creating this type of work.  I thought if I couldn't show someone how closely and creatively I had recreated a photo, that my work wouldn't be recognized to represent true talent.  With the encouragement of my gallery rep at the time, I finally let go a few years back, and have fully embraced brave, loose, expressive painting.

Even if you have only followed me for a short time, I imagine you know how much I love painting in joyful, happy, bright colors.  Most of my abstracts are painted in this palette because they give me such joy.  This painting, "Rock-solid" is titled thus because I feel like this painting fully captures the emotions I have when painting this series.  It represents that I feel I have finally landed on a "rock-solid" foundation of painting in this loose, expressive manner, and I know longer fear that I will get the "my kid could do that" type of response.  This title, like most of mine, has a double meaning, combining what I see in the painting with how I might be felt when I painted it, or where I feel like I am in my artistic journey at this time.