What I love
about painting over paintings.
there are miracles and surprises and mysteries under there
the word pentimento...remember seeing through to the previous layers the previous painting idea that was laid down...then
for whatever reason...discarded, considered to not be ''it''
even though many people who make creative effort
are not actually in search of something specific or concrete at the outset of their project, some ideas and feelings begin to congeal as the work progresses, then the 'finished' work either does or does not
communicate all that was percolating up through the makers body and mind while the work was in progress, and therefore the painting has to go either into the trash pile, or be painted over,
if the vibe it leaves behind is not too overwhelming and dictatorial
well then, painting over can bring magic...with a hint of the unresolved underneath it, teasing the eye, we ask ''what is that under there, i see something under the skin of the the painting?", it's the unresolved, the thing that lurks underneath all of us anyway
and to me
when that day happens in the studio
that's a good day
having to grapple with something that will not be named or tamed
and then laying on top of that , something that invites a meditation
on the wild chaos and inner peace of life, living one on top of the other

A Prime Example: ''Passing Secrets" click to follow link.