I have three paintings in a group show at the confluence gallery. The show is called “Shadow & Light”, a pretty nice theme for an art show that can be extended in a lot of psychological as well as literal directions.
These are 18″ x 18″ paintings, they appeared gigantic when it was time to box them up but they look so small here! I will not be able to attend the opening of the show so ended up mailing the paintings… always seems a little scary!
This was a 10″ x 10″ cow portrait I did in acrylic not too long ago. Once again using the cow as sympathetic subject. I have been working on highly atmospheric environmental scenes of late. I have largely abandoned opaque colors since doing this painting. I am trying to make work with a lot of transparency and light penetrating the paint. I hope to bring it back around and do some large sweeping landscapes with shadowy cows. We shall see where things go… Best to follow the work rather than trying to map out a plan.
This painting that goes back a few years. I was playing around with Brewer’s Blackbirds as stark symbolic subjects. Lacking the stature and mystique of the crow they are nonetheless interesting birds. The strange light ring of their eye… the surreal dark shapes they create in the sky with their multitudes. I dusted this one off recently as it was purchased by my brother in-law as a Christmas gift. I realized I didn’t have a decent photograph so I took a little time to capture one!
These are some of the Endless Roar paintings I had started a while back. I finished them since the previous post. Here are five of them! You can see some of the texture showing through the paintings. The texture seems to shift with the lighting and angle of view.
I painted six small water paintings. These are 10″x10″, so fairly small. The painting I singled out with a close up I am giving to my niece for Christmas… Just wrapped it!
I finished some of the desolate water paintings I started on recently. These are two of the paintings of which I am particularly fond. You can see some interesting surface qualities if you look carefully. These are most noticeable on the first image, particularly along the left side. These odd textural anomalies are my favorite things! These paintings both have deep translucent depth, more than 1/8th inch so the light really moves through the work.
Blue is such a powerful color. I’m continuing my efforts with atmospheric clouds but in a more nocturnal setting. These are two of my most recent works.
Clouds, the mighty transporters of water, are a beautiful presence above. Morphing and shifting they are never the same from moment to moment. Casting darkness as they steal the sun’s light they set the tone, create a mood. There is a meditative quality to clouds, something primitive and soothing. To me painting clouds creates that same hypnotic feeling, I hope the result echoes the creation.
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This was one of a black bird series I was working on a few years ago. Part of that time period where I was creating paintings in unstable ways and letting them crack, run or erode. I liked the idea of a paintings forming with me just guiding the process. I have completely changed the way I paint a number of times since then but it is interesting to look back.
I have been continuing with some atmospheric water and sky paintings but so far haven’t been too pleased with the results. Sometimes you can feel the magic, sometimes you are alone in a paint spattered room. In the interim I figured I would post some more of my poor sad cow friends.
brian sostrom 