Dan McCaw's Art Blog

danmccaw — Sat, 15 May 2010 06:31:16 +0000

These heads are my attempt to push myself past the comfortable, familiar and safe. I am not trying to paint a “beautiful painting”

but a painting that has beauty in the design, exaggerations, textures, and the energy of paint. At some point in the

painting, I have to find an emotional connection, something not found in the subjects likeness something that may be undefinable but is

felt when it comes closer to touching my true nature.

These paintings are not to answer any question but to make you think, participate, to stretch your imagination

and to question. these are the paintings that happen along my journey to find my own voice, they are like small towns we stop

in for a short time and then continue on a our journey.

danmccaw — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 19:08:04 +0000

Painting for me is a process of evaluation, eliminating what is not essential and changing elements until

I feel a connection with my painting, not with the subject but with my painting, These painting were done

from my imagination as I feel a greater freedom relying on my own judgement .

I began the bottom painting first , working my way to the abstract, it just evolves this way for

me, it’s a process of eliminating and simplifying.

danmccaw — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:57:55 +0000

Here are a few of my contemporary figures, they are my attempts to search past the detail and likeness of the figure. I try to simplify more than add, I look for patterns or shapes to tie together to form a rhythm. I think that the single figure forces you to focus, not on a story, but more on the attitude, design and to search for an emotional connection. The subject is just the object that I use to express something in myself that exists beyond the detail and likeness

There is a liberation in free thought if you are not affected by criticism and judgement but trust that intuitive compass where true north is only determined by the direction you are facing.

My single figures are ambiguous, unadorned and simplified, not to confuse the viewer but to offer an opportunity to engage and participate. In later blogs I will talk more in-depth about technique, symbols, philosophy color and design etc