New Group of Canoe Strip Canvas Pieces

I had my second group of "canoe strip canvas" pieces photographed by RL Photo Studio in Burlington, Vermont a couple of months ago. With this group I experimented with painting the entire surface, taking wood grain out of the work. Because the pictures are, for the most part, taken straight on center, the best indication of the shape is found in the drop shadow. 

This first piece was painted while doing a residency at Vermont Studio Center. The free-form style was a big change and challenge for me, but was completely the result of being in that intensive environment and being pushed to try new things.

Timeless

acrylic, milk paint, and shellac on wood

32" x 41.5" x 7"

2017

I have a small garden plot in front of my house where I grow thing deer won't eat, like kale and mesclun mix. I love grabbing hand fulls of greens whenever I walk by and eating them immediately.

Garden Snack

acrylic, gouache, milk paint, and shellac on wood

32" x 43.5" x 7"

2017

I love my truck, a 2003 Toyota Tacoma with >200,000 miles. If you saw it you would think, "I bet that's Rob's truck."

Truck Love

mixed media on wood

32" x 43.5" x 10"

2017

Twilight

acrylic, milk paint, and shellac on wood

32" x 35.5" x 6.5"

2017

Below are two new pieces in my "ART?" series. I love that it is a completely ambiguous question, allowing many interpretations and many times more answers, so I feel it is a question worth repeating and recreating in different forms. Ideally, the ambiguity spurs discussion and thought, which I believe is more important than any specific interpretations people identify. Personally, though, I'm kind of stuck on the interpretation of what art can do in this increasingly divisive and scary political environment the US is experiencing; as in, "What good is art?" or "How can art be used to bring people together?" However, I love hearing what other people think when they see it.

ART? (4)

acrylic, graphite, milk paint, and shellac on wood

32" x 36" x 5.5"

2017

To construct ART?(5) I used the actual forms from my 16 foot canoe. 

ART? (5)

acrylic, gouache, milk paint, and shellac on wood

32" x 35.5" x 13"

2017

Because the piece is so deep, I thought it was necessary to take images from each side as well.

ART (5) 

second view

ART (5) 

third view

I have a couple of show scheduled for 2018 where I hope to display these and my earlier ones. Stay tuned for more info.