SAND, SEA and BIRDS
April - May 2022
Lafayette, Colorado
East Simpson Coffee Company
Solo Exhibition
Until the summer of 2023, my last art class was during high school, the spring of 1992. Prior to preparing for Sand, Sea and Birds, I had never earnestly tried to create fine art. I played occasionally with watercolors but never with acrylics.
My first real attempt was during the summer of 2022. I found some leftover Benjamin Moore paint lying around in our house and thought, “let’s see what I can do.” I found a photo of my family’s favorite beach in Maine and poured some paint onto a piece of cardboard. Within seconds of my 2” Purdy brush touching the surface of my canvas, I knew my life was about to change.
These cropped images are of some of the 30+ pieces I painted between the months of January and April of 2022. Prior to Sand, Sea and Birds, I had never shown my artwork to anyone, nor had I sold a piece. It was my very first exhibition.
As you can see, I allowed myself plenty of latitude to explore acrylics. In an attempt to provide myself with some parameters, I worked only on canvas and within three categories: mountains, seascapes and birds. During those first few months, I didn’t watch a single YouTube tutorial or sought ways to compare my art to others. Instead, I gave myself permission to play and experiment with my paints and swore to myself, “I’d only keep painting on a painting if it made me happy.”
