A Tweak Here and a Tweak There...

I've been playing with the "look" of this blog.  Basically, I've come to feel that the overall design was a bit too much, so I've applied the principle of design that you can't go wrong with...K I S S.  That's right-Keep It Simple Sunshine.  My main goal in the redesign is to create a more reader friendly blog that will appear more unified with better readability.  I will appreciate any feedback as to whether or not it's working for you.  Please leave a comment or email me. Thanks much.  If you've sent me a comment in the past and haven't seen it, I apologize as it may be something I've screwed up.

The ArtinMe show

Two of my paintings were juried into the current show at Boothbay Region Art Foundation (BRAF) Art Gallery in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. They are both done in acrylics, which is my main medium.The title of the show is ArtinME. The show runs until  November 19.  If you're in Boothbay Harbor I hope you'll check out ArtinME as there are many great pieces of artwork by some outstanding artists.  I am both pleased and honored to be part of this show.

Journey No. 11 is part of  my "Journey Series" of nonrepresentational (abstract) paintings that I began a few years ago.

Mackerel Cove Pick Up was done plein air on Bailey Island, Harpswell, ME earlier this year. Actually, the original truck was a new, bright red one, but I couldn't resist changing it to something I thought was more interesting, like a late '40s model. I leave the exact year and model up to viewers. I love the power of "Artistic License!"

Journey No. 11
24"x20"
Acrylic on birch panel

Mackerel Cove Pick Up
8" x 8"
Acrylic on birch panel
painted plein air at Mackerel Cove
on Bailey Island, Maine
SOLD

Journeys in paint

As many artists do, I titled many of my early nonrepresentational paintings "Untitled" with the thought that, by not putting a title on the work, I avoided imposing my concept or "meaning" behind the work on the veiwer. The veiwer was then free to interpret the painting as he/she saw fit. After a few paintings however, I decided I wasn't satisfied with the common "Untitled" title and changed instead to "Journey". That is because, I realized taking a journey is what these paintings are all about, to me.  I now have a relatively new series of  "Jouneys" in paint.  Actually, I view all of my paintings, both nonrepresentational and representational, as journeys.  The difference, to me, is that with my representational or "realist" paintings I already know what the destination is as soon as I select the subject matter whether it is a plein air landscape or a still life done in the studio.  With an abstract I start out with (excuse the pun) a truly blank canvas, both literally and figuratively.  That is, I start without a preconceived idea of what I want to end up with, preferring to let the painting take me where it will.  Thus, unlike the realist painting, my destination in the abstract journey is completely unknown until I finally arrive. The common wisdom is that nonrepresentational art is "easier" to do than representational. Actually, at least for me, the opposite is true more often than not. And the time spent on nonrepresentational paintings is usually longer.

Examples of some of my paintings

I  plan to post images of my work on future blogs but for now, for anyone interested in seeing some examples of my paintings you can presently visit two sites.  They are:

• http://www.allendavidgallery.com/artist-html-pages/Bill%20Tomsa/homepage-bt.html
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/stbartholomews/collections/72157627753721840/

And the journey begins...

Art is, in my opinion,  so much about taking a journey each time I pick up a brush to start a new painting.  Now, with the beginning of this blog, I embark on a new kind of journey.  It's a journey of words, mostly, with some images of my art posted to support or add to those words. 
My goal for this blog is to share with you, my readers, my journey as an artist and things I've learned that I hope may help others.  I also look forward to learning from you  as well through your comments. With the help of my wife, Gloria, as my proof reader and "editor", I will do my best to create a blog worthy of your continued interest, following and participation.  Please don't hesitate to let me know how you feel. 


So, it is with these wise words from one of baseball's finest, I will close out my first, and hopefully not last, blog:
"If you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra