When looking at a painting spend some time looking for the many paintings that are in a painting. When looking at a work of art, slow down, and take the time to see the many nuances. Deepen your ability to see.

Several of you have written to me sharing some of the paintings that you saw in my painting Into the Woods. One woman wrote indicating she saw an angel playing the trumpet in the brown shadow of the bush to the left of the path. Her vision deepened my experience of my own painting. The notion of the abused boy walking down the path being guarded by an archangel was quite moving.

The picture posted today is actually a cropped section of Into The Woods. Years ago I discovered that by looking only at sections of a painting I could find inspiration. This little section of Into The Woods stands on its own as work of art. Too bad I can't cut it out of the painting and sell it on its own.

Detail: Into the Woods/watercolor/18x24

The one safe place that existed in my childhood was my grandparents dairy farm in Middletown, NY. It was called Forest View. When chores were completed it was time to head into the forest. In the company of the flora and the fauna the confusion of the world ceased to exist. This was no boy heading into the forest. This was a knight on a quest. At the end of the day, the castle which was the home my great-grandfather built in 1898, welcomed me home. The forest was a secure, sacred and safe place. To this day I love walking in the woods.

Into The Woods is an early painting of mine that recalls my journies into the forest. If you look closely you can see a figure about to disappear down the path. It is not the best painting in the world. In fact a cardinal rule of a painting is broken. Never center a painting right in the middle of the paper. The path divides the paper in half.

There is, however, an honesty in that mistake. As I child I lived in two worlds. In one, the world was marked by the experience of human cruelty. In the other, the world was suffused with Divine Safety.

Into The Woods, tells the story of a child making his way to safety. Like any story there is always a story in the story. In any painting, there is a painting in the painting. Spend some time looking at this painting. Look for the paintings in the painting. My next blog will be entitled; The Painting In the Painting. It will explore one of the many paintings found in this painting.

Into The Woods/watercolor/18x24

I had a bit of a breakdown with the computer last week and didn't get to mention the First Friday event in Binghamton, NY.

My work is on display at the Orazio Salati Gallery in Binghamton. If you live in the Southern Tier of New York or northeastern Pennsylvania, it's a fun evening; lots of music, food and art. Here is a pic of me standing with the second painting in the Cathedral Series.

The event is held the first Friday of every month. The next one is August 6.

In the art world, Pentimento is defined as a of trace of an earlier painting beneath the layers of paint on canvas. Years ago author Lillian Hellman wrote a book entitled Pentimento describing the memories of her life as the pentimento or traces of her life.

As a process painter, there are many layers, traces and memories beneath the final painting. In artist's statements I have written that my work does not reveal itself immediately to the viewer. One of the pieces where this can be so clearly demonstrated is in the third painting of my Cathedral series. This painting has been mentioned before. It is called Silent Souls. Take a look at the painting for a few moments.

This painting was a work I felt compelled to paint after hearing a story of religious intolerance. It tells the story of a group of young Irish boys who, while trying to defend their homeland, were slaughtered by English sailors. The town's people buried the boys in a mass grave. The following spring, the oats that the boys carried in their pockets sprouted. It is a deeply moving story. Aside from the obvious horror, it is also a story of resurrection and new life. The photograph does not reveal the skeletons of the boys in their grave or the oats that have sprouted.

Last Saturday night, while telling the story of the painting to a dinner guest, people's interest in the painting piqued as they began looking for the bones and the oats. Sunday afternoon I happened to come across a photo of the painting in one of its earlier stages. Look closely and you will see at least three skeletons and a row of oats growing on the left.

What surprised even me was seeing an image that I had forgotten about. If you look in the sky line of the painting you will see scratched images of angels wings. While working on the painting it seemed very important to have an image of hope as a way of offering solace in the presence of a soulless incident. As the work continued I took out the wings. Images of the boys moving into the light carrying their silent story began to emerge. Originally called Runway if you look at the completed painting you can see what appears to be a runway moving into the light located in the middle panel. It has not yet emerged in the underpainting. What you do see are lines indicating rows of oats in a field.

The next time you are looking at a work of art, take the time to look very closely. See if you can identify traces of a painting underneath the painting. It may occur as faint image. It may occur as a brush stroke that runs in a different direction. In great works of art you can actually see images of entirely different paintings. This is pentimento.

(The story of the boys was told to me by an Irishman. If you happen to know the origins of the story I would be delighted to hear from you. My friend placed it in the 1700s. My research has not been fruitful.)

Come and visit my updated website. Several of my new oil paintings been published on the painting page. You can click on the paintings to see them enlarged.

Additionally there is a direct link to the blog. If you haven't signed up of the blog it's easy to do. Click on the picture of me above the words "daily blog." You will be taken to the blog page. The link to subscribe is in the upper right hand corner.

Many thanks to the crew at c4net for all their hard work. A very special thanks to Kristen who makes website updates happen like magic.

Thanks for stopping by.

It is rare to face a totally blank canvas. Most times there are ideas about the subject matter before the canvas appears on the easel. When the canvas is prepared, the subject matter is projected onto the canvas via the mind's eye. The empty space becomes a field for exploration.

There are times when the canvas has been started and images are present. Previous blogs have addressed this experience. It is as if the painting becomes frozen in time while the artist patiently waits for it to reveal itself. What is blank is the direction to move in.

Whether in front of a blank canvas, or a canvas that already has an image, patience is what is called for. To dive in prematurely is to set off a chain of events that inevitably leads to a crash landing. It is essential to have a path. Ultimately, the path will reveal itself. I hate the waiting.

While sitting in the "waiting room," it is essential to have a plan. At this point, my waiting room plan is this. Draw a line a day. Write the blog. Do something artistic, eg; read from an art periodical, look closely at a master painting, putz around in the studio. These simple actions keep the connection alive and real.

Since coming back from the workshop in Provincetown last March I've had the experience that something has been missing from my plan of action. It took me until yesterday to figure out what it was; conversations with other artists.

In Provincetown my work flowed freely. I was in conversation with other artists. Last fall I painted weekly with a dear friend until she moved to Europe.

It is essential to have other artists around. The artistic journey is lonely enough. The company of other artists was the missing piece. I say "was," because a friend arrived with a newpaper article about an art atelier that has opened in the town that is next to me. Yesterday I called and scheduled a time to speak with the master painter who teaches there. The prospect of being in conversation and painting with other artists completes my plan for the moment. The path has revealed itself. All I had to do was wait.

The Conversation/watercolor/11x14

Living in the country, every morning at approximately 4:30AM there is a cacophony of sound as the birds begin to greet the morning light. Birds are creatures of habit. The brown rufus towhee, whose chirp some say sounds like "drink your tea," is among the first to awaken. In the afternoon, without fail the blue bird lands on a post in the garden to begin his evening rounds.

It is not clear to me what dictates the energy of the field behind my studio. As the sun approaches the solstice clearly the light contributes to the life force. On overcast days like today the energy of the field is soft as though it is relieved of the sun's rays. The birds and bugs, the fox and deer, the hawk and crow all make their rounds throughout the course of the day. Are they aware of the artist whose eye is always looking for them?

It is the energy of the field as is reaches into me that enables me to create a sketch such as Sweet Repose. Yes, it looks like a reclining nude. It is really a sketch of mother earth in sweet repose as creation dances across her landscape.

Sweet Repose/charcoal/18x24

Edgar Degas captures the essence of being a painter. He writes, "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." In other words you as the viewer complete the painting. The work is not about the artist.

My first drawing teacher said to me, "I'm going to teach you a whole new way of seeing the world." Indeed he did. Through hours of drawing and sketching the distinction between a picture and a piece of art began to emerging. In the process of sketching I began to actually sketch what I saw, not what I thought I saw. It is amazing how quickly the mind takes over and tricks you into "seeing." Take some time to look at the world around you. The sky is not blue. The clouds are not white. Your mind will tell you that the grass is green or the ocean is aqua. Look deeply. Ask your self. What do I really see? What is the mind trying to tell me I see.

The same is true for a painting. Honestly, there are times when my viewers reveal to me things that I did not see. Look at this painting. If you subscribe to my blog you have seen it before. It is called Fading Spring.

Look closely. Do you see the cat? I did not know about the cat until a viewer pointed it out. Clearly my unconscious mind was at work. You complete the painting. Find the cat and any other images that pop into your filed of vision.

Have a great weekend.

Fading Spring......oil on canvas/ 24x30

Yesterday's quote from Albert Einstein pointed to the two minds of humanity: the rational mind and the intuitive mind. Einstein suggests that the rational mind is the servant of the intuitive mind. With practice it is easy to discern which mind one is in.

It is clear when I have moved from one mind to the other. In the intuitive mind there is a profound sense of peace and wellbeing. In the rational mind there is a sense of chaos and unknowing. There have been many times when I have avoided going to the canvas in order to avoid that chaos and sense of unknowing that is part of the painting process. With the distinction of these two minds I have the experience of being able to sit in front of a painting, look at it and not pick up a paintbrush. It appears that I am not painting when in truth I am painting at the deepest level.

My art work has not been touched for two days now. On Tuesday time was spent cleaning the palette to mix new paints. Wednesday it was clear that the time was not right to begin work. Sitting in front of the work I simply listened to the wisdom of the intuitive mind.

For the moment all there is to do is experience painting as a spiritual practice, a time when doing is put aside and being the artist examining the light, the line and the language of the work is what is called for.

Todays offering is a character sketch. It is offered in homage to the spiritual practice of painting.

Sprite at Prayer.......charcoal/18x24

Many of you do not know that in addition to being an artist I am also the Spiritual Director of a small community in Bucks County, PA. The two positions go hand in hand. As an artist the job is to explore and express the soul artistically. As a spiritual director the job is to support and encourage the soulful path of humanity. Looking around the world, it seems to be that at least in my corner of the United States, the human race has lost its footing.

I like what Albert Einstein says. "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." My life is about remembering and pointing to the gift.

Keeping the rational mind as the servant of the intuitive mind is my soul path. The piece I am posting today is called Genesis. It is a figure rising out of the dirt.. Will his rational mind take over? Will his intuitive mind take over? It's the age old conflict between dogma and grace. My prayer is that humanity it on the way to finding its footing.

Genesis....charcoal/ 18x24