All abstraction in art is related to through the artist's and viewer's own experience. Being a denizens of earth those experiences are based on nature. Things like gravity, the elements, and light all affect how we make sense of an image whether that image represents somethin realistically or no. Nature is the original abstractionist.

“Side Canyon”, (46"x 52", acrylic on canvas) is painted on four canvases, two squares and two rectangles. Before I began working on this painting I already knew that I would be focusing a lot on the more abstract elements like texture, movement and light and less on creating a subject that the viewer would easily identify. To help me with this I asked my friend and fellow artist, Lisa Daniel, if I could visit her studio to watch her work. Lisa works by "pouring" very liquid layers onto a horizontally place canvas on the floor. There are often very many of these layers which are allowed to dry in between each pour. She tilts the canvas, working with gravity to move the paint where she would like it to go, but ultimately the process is greatly random. The final effect in her paintings is not only that of great depth but one that seems to be representing something of nature without being an identifiable subject.

Back in my studio, the day after visiting Lisa, I started "Side Canyon" using a process inspired by hers. With very liquid paint, but with four different colors, I poured them directly onto the canvases laid horizontally. I manipulated the paint primarily with painting knives, occasionally tilting them to move the paint using gravity. My intention was to touch the paint as little as possible while still achieving the shapes and composition I wanted. It was a wonderful and energizing start. The original pour can still be seen in parts of the finished painting, especially in the center/top area.

As I painted the four canvases were always worked on together as one contiguous piece. What's interesting is that when hung on the wall in the way intended, with about two inches in between each, it becomes easy to see each canvas on it's own and individually they lack enough information to make sense of the subject. This emphasizes the abstraction in the piece allowing the focus to be on the texture, movement and light. 

So what is the subject of "Side Canyon"? Placed together the four canvases create a sense of depth and space without being immediately identifiable. "Side Canyon" is inspired by a section of a deep and narrow feeder canyon off the Salmon River in Idaho. This is a space outdoors that almost feel indoors because the narrow canyon walls block out all but a few hours of sunlight every day. All the violence of volcanic activity, wind, flood and the erosion and accretion of time is there to be seen in this small section of stone.