Here’s my most recent series of paintings: Tulips, works on paper. They’re freer and more spontaneous than my oil paintings on canvas.

I started by photographing a large glass vase full of tulips in my art studio, then, a few months later, worked to reinterpret the images with Gouache on paper. Gouache is a water based paint that is thicker than traditional water color paint. Apparently, before graphic design went digital with the rest of the world, gouache was the medium of choice. This medium allows the user to create  rich saturated colors that dry very quickly, especially when compared to oil on canvas.  Even though I’d used gouache paint in my design classes at UCLA,  I’d never really considered using it as a professional medium until I saw the work of Richard Diebenkorn at the Palm Springs Art Museum last fall. (Richard Diebenkorn: The Berkeley Years, 1953 – 1966) His moody saturated images really spoke to me, so I dug out my old tubes of gouache paint, bought a few new colors and went to work.  The above painting, Lavender Tulips,  is the third work in my progression of Tulip Paintings and is currently being framed.  Below you’ll see Orange Tulips, the first in the series, and Purple Tulips (which has already sold).  Additional inspiration came from the vintage print works of Francoise Gilot.

Below is a Flipagram (cool iphone/ipad App) that will let you tell any story in 15 seconds. In my Flipagram, I show you the evolution of Lavender Tulips from start to finish.