All posts by Phil Slattery

Publisher, Rural Fiction Magazine; publisher, The Chamber Magazine; founder, the Farmington Writers Circle. I have written short stories and poetry for many years. In my careers as a Naval officer and in the federal government, I have written thousands of documents of many types. I am currently working on a second edition for my poetry collection and a few novels.

Ragged Sun, Ragged Sky

Ragged Sun, Ragged Sky
Ragged Sun, Ragged Sky

I sometimes like to experiment with very basic forms or very basic ideas.  In this case I chose the sun.  The painting is 24 inches by 36 inches.  I used a large salad bowl to make the circle for the sun. I wanted to contrast the yellow of the sun with the blue of the sky.  I applied different tones of blue from the paint tubes along with a few dabs of other colors placed strategically around the canvas to draw the viewer’s eye to different areas. Then I smeared them around with putty knives and palette knives. I laid the yellow of the sun on thick and shaped it with palette knives to give the sun a rough texture and to make it seem like it is whirling.

Symphony in Red

Symphony in Red
Symphony in Red

This is one of my earliest works where I was learning to develop a color strategy.  I kept the texture rough by using palette knives.  I made the yellow lines by dribbling paint from a sample of indoor house paint I obtained at a local paint store.  I like dribbling paint, because it adds an element of randomness.  I attempt to stir the emotions and intellect by using a combination of irregular (usually) shapes and colors.  All my painting is very subjective.  I decide what colors and shapes to use based on how they make me “feel” for lack of a better term.  For example, some shapes give me the impression of being more or less violent while others may seem more or less peaceful.   The same is true of colors.  Some seem more peaceful or sedate than others.  I choose the name of the work on a similar basis or sometimes at random–like a Rorshach test–I just use the first word that pops into my mind as the title.  Often I use musical terms like symphony or concerto in the title, because those works are also a combination of subjective artistic elements flowing together to create a whole.

Welcome to My Blog!

Tonight, February 18, 2015, I am starting my blog about art, which will primarily focus on abstract

The blogger on the Bayfront in Corpus Christ, TX  in 2010
The blogger on the Bayfront in Corpus Christ, TX in 2010

art, but I will probably comment on anything that catches my attention.  With this blog I will also create a focal point, from which readers can make forays to other sites where I have published a work, or that uses one of my works, or where I sell some of my attempts at art.  Please feel free to comment on anything that stimulates your own interest or curiosity.  I would love to have as many discussions running as possible.