I’ve been thinking about a new series for some time now – starting to gather resource material, pondering what approach to take, what size the paintings might be. Part of thinking about a new subject is doing small-scale studies. The studies explore compositional issues, color choices, textures, the balance between soft and hard edges, line v. shape, etc.. For convenience, I usually choose a 6×6″ format. The goal is to do at least dozens of studies, so that I’m thinking quickly and intuitively – a pure response. Eventually, the experiments will be on larger panels, but for now 6×6 is just fine.

The four paintings below mark the official start of Into the Woods.