Preferred Paints

I work exclusively with tube paints in order to get the intense richness and saturation needed for my style of painting. I notice such a disparity between brands for the same color such as "Cobalt Blue" that I usually order the same color from a few brands and see which brand I like best for a particular color.

Daniel Smith
My current favorite brand for the Quinacridones is Daniel Smith. Specifically Quin Pink and Quin Sienna for an amazing orange. People say there is a lot of honey in Daniel Smith, but for the colors I use of this brand, I have not had any flow problems.

MaimeriBlu
Without question, MaimeriBlue "Violetto Permanente Bluastro" and "Violetto Permanente Rossastro" are two favorites, and are my key - believe it or not - to great plant greenery. When these two encounter Hookers or Sap Green, a cool texure emerges. Additionally, the reds of these two add life and dimension to plant life. Definately a mainstay of my toolkit.

Holbein
Most of the rest of my colors currently come from the Holbein collection. There are some colors, however, that I still prefer in other brands. The Winsor and Newton Cobalt Blue, for instance, is so rich and bright compared to Holbein's.

Creating Buzzing Edges

Many of my more recent paintings are excellent examples of what I call my "buzzing edges" tecnique. This technique creates an exceptional amount of visual depth in a painting by causing your eye to vibrate at the edges of a subject, and thereby making the subject appear to have a stereoscopic effect, separating it from its background.

To accomplish this, I create tension along the edges of a subject by applying first a light blend of a bold, usually primary, color such as Lemon Yellow, Colbalt Blue, or Scarlet Lake that bleeds over either side of the edge. Once that dries, i follow up with a line of usually the same color on the edge. Depending on the painting, I may follow up with a different bold color on the other side of the edge. The result is a dramatic "buzzing edge" that lifts the subject away from the background.