After having done several shows in a row and being committed to produce another one in just a years time, I was understandably exhausted, physically, emotionally and creatively. I had been working with so much color, with such vivid images that I was feeling lost and drained. Then I had the idea to abandon color altogether and do an entire series in black and white. But it didn’t seem to be enough, I didn’t want to just paint in black and white and shades of gray, it had to be strictly black and white. I began sketching ideas and started drawing little images that aded up to one big image and thats how “I WALK THE LINE” came to be. Some are painted and can only be hung one way but several were painted specifically to be hung any way you’d like, designed to be turned from time to time, and they are dense and complex enough that you’ll always discover something new. Most people paint with the idea that the viewer should stand back and absorb the entire image and that is true of this work as well, except these were also done to get as close as possible, stare into the images and discover all the little hidden gems I’ve put in there. For the most part they are all oil on canvas, but a few were done on ARCHES 400 lb. color paper with ink or black glitter, and sometimes both. The glitter was coated with Krylon to stop it from coming off. In the process I discovered that the more Krylon I used, the glitter began to melt and turn into it’s own sort of paint, without losing it’s sheen. It was an amazing exercise working in black and white only. It was an excellent reset button as well.