This is my newest painting. I worked on it for several days, layering glaze over glaze. By adding collage elements, texture, stampings and calligraphy, a theme began to evolve. I don't normally begin a painting with any preconceived idea but one usually develops as I paint - I love when that happens!!

Experimental painting techniques open the door to greater creativity for me. The freedom to explore new ways of doing old things expands my "bag of tricks". Although I have an enormous collection of paint brushes, I've found that painting with natural sponges and even my fingers (wear latex gloves if you decide to do this) gives me greater latitude of control. Acrylic paints can be difficult to work with, but when mixed with various mediums and applied directly to the canvas, one can achieve interesting results.

If you'd like to explore the "unknown", check out two of my favorite resource books on experimental painting techniques. Mary Todd Beam's Celebrate Your Creative Self and Nancy Reyner's Acrylic Revolution are excellent guides to help you discover new tricks and techniques using one of the most versatile painting medium available today- acrylics.

Symbolic Intrigue is for sale on my website.