After several years away from art, I started back a few years ago by working in collage.  I created several pieces but realized that I was beginning to want to add paint to them.  After a short while, paint became more important to me than paper, so I picked up the brush.

Although I love looking at all kinds of art, my favorites as a painter had long been abstract artists going back to Raoul Dufy and Picasso.  Since then the abstract expressionists like Rothko and Clyfford Still have informed my work.

I gave up the brushes a couple of years ago in favor of tools.  The work of Dutch artist (and jazz saxophonist) Jan van Oort led me to pick up tools instead of brushes and I never looked back.  My painting tools come from the hardware store including a two-foot paint scraper that I use much as van Oort does.

I use traditional acrylic artist’s paint as well as acrylic inks and, in Mexico, a different kind of art acrylic that gave me even more options.  I enjoy mixing my own colors and prefer to do this rather than buy paint in every color.