After completing the Zodiac Series, I had a bunch of left over paint that I had already prepared for use. I also had a painting on my wall that I wasn’t totally in love with.

As with a lot of my paintings... I decided to experiment and play. Let go of any need for what I create to be perfect, or even good at all. Just try something new and see how it goes. Worst case, I don’t like it and paint over it.

So, I mixed all the different colors of paint into a big mix, and started playing on the canvas. I let myself just play and explore with the paint, like a baker playing with dough even after it’s ready. I discovered this new effect with straight lines that still dances with the light from different viewing angles. This was the first (and I think only) time I used straight brush strokes in this thick textured style.

I had a mid-century modern piece of furniture in mind as I was finishing this piece with the wooden frame that I built by hand.

I was inspired by wooden frames I see on a lot of art pieces from the 50’s and 60’s that are nailed directly into the painting, so I made my own for this piece.