Do you ever finish a big project and then experience a slump afterward? In talking with other artists, I have heard that many find themselves needing downtime after completing an especially large painting, or a commission. I just finished two paintings that represents the start of a new series.  They took seven weeks to complete.  After putting the canvases away to dry, I found I had to do something less challenging for a while.  As seems to be becoming usual, I did some very small florals as a relief, or was it escape?  I posted them in Daily Paintworks today, in case you want to take a look.

As to the BIG IDEA paintings, they are about a topic that  I have been thinking, reading and writing quite a bit about. It is the question: "What is original in 2016 and is it possible to be unique in this day and age of mass media and communication."  From cloning of animals to bootleg copies of branded goods, photocopiers that can make skin and forgeries that are expensive as the originals, I keep wondering about questions of authenticity, truth and individuality.  I hope to write some salient ideas about the topic here on the blog in the coming months, but thought I would post the first two paintings.  What do you think?

Pink and White  Oil on Canvas  30"x40"

White on White  Oil on Canvas    20" x 24"