a little more new stuff

I have been making a few more small paintings the past few days. These seem to bridge my constant struggle to navigate my way between illustration and more "fine art" painting. I love the matter of paint, and have considered myself a "matter painter" because I love to emphasize the actual stuff of paint. Perhaps this is the sculptor in me as well. Yet I crave imagery, narrative, and symbolism, and have never felt fully engaged by strictly abstract work. I have never been able to just stick with one direction, or perhaps I have not yet found the one direction that suits me best.

These little paintings, of faces mostly, and a cup or a bowl, combine many of these loose threads for me. I love carving out the image with a big brush, and finding a form that way. They are painterly, and the single image is sculptural, but still engaging as subject. The ones shown here were done very quickly, and may not be quite finished yet.

I have written all this while my little one practices the piano. She stops every minute or so to ask me something. I hope the above makes a little sense, as my attention is scattered. Is there any evidence that motherhood causes ADD? It's a good thing she is so cute.