“Bathroom Break” 24 × 18 × 1.5 inches, oil on stretched linen

 

“Bathroom Break” 24 × 18 × 1.5 inches, oil on stretched linen $625

The Bay Area Figurative painters were one of my first loves. A recent visit to the Anderson Collection, where I saw work by Richard Diebenkorn, Elmer Bischoff, and Hans Hofmann, brought me back to thinking about how much color can do in a painting.

In “Bathroom Break,” I wanted to use more non-local color: color that goes beyond the expected colors of the things I’m painting. Warm pinks and oranges move against cool blues and grays across the figure. I wanted the anatomy to feel accurate while leaving the brushstrokes and active, searching lines visible.

I began with a crayon sketch and returned to the painting over three or four sittings across two or three days. I used the rule of thirds to help crop the image and place areas of visual interest, much as a photographer might. A strong diagonal runs from the upper left toward the lower right, carrying the eye through the figure, the extended arm, and the blue towel.

The bathroom gives me a familiar setting to work with these formal questions. The body, the surrounding space, and the marks of the brush all matter. I wanted the painting to hold together as a figure while still letting you see the work of drawing and painting it.

This is a handmade, original work of art NOT A PRINT and NOT AI GENERATED

FREE SHIPPING Shipping takes 3–4 Weeks This ships from San Carlos, California (The San Francisco Bay Area). I use UPS and sometimes US Post.