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| CARIBBEAN PIXELATION Ram's Head Bay, St. John USVI 30 X 40 inches, Lascaux Acrylic and archival mylar on canvas Detail of paint surface The idea for this painting percolated in my mind since April '06 when I spent several days snorkeling in this bay on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. I wanted to convey the mood and color of the site and the idea of seeing the surface reflections on the water and looking through the transparency of the water to the other world below. So, in researching materials for the piece I discovered archival mylar sheeting and that has served me well. The shiny elements of this painting reveal the paint surface through the mylar (evoking the under water) and the matte elements are the surface reflections, and above water world.
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SEA CLIFFS 20 X 16 inches, Lascaux Acrylic on canvas Detail of paint surface Private Collection This painting is a beautiful memory of the Caribbean crashing against the red and green volcanic cliffs of St John, USVI. |
INTERACTIVE PAINTING # 2: AQUARIUS 23 3/4 X 30, Lascaux acrylic, archival mylar, magnetic materials and cloth on panel Detail of paint surface Private Collection The interactive paintings represent a complex creative process that does not end with the artist. The viewer can rearrange the paintings as the individial pieces are magnetic. I begin by creating many abstract images, these are then mounted to magnetic sheeting and carefully cropped into miniature abstract paintings. I then assemble the individual pieces on the magnetic support, carefully selecting each element to create a balanced composition. The inspiration for this painting came from the colors of the Caribbean. This painting has two sets of hanging hardware on the back. The owner can change it from a horizontal to vertical (or vice versa) composition at will. |
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| INTERACTIVE PAINTING # 1: THE INDIVIDUAL 24 X 24 inches,Lascaux acrylic, archival mylar, magnetic materials and cloth on panel Private Collection This painting is a metaphor for the individual’s place in society. It is a metaphor for any closed system --be it the Milky Way, nature, society, a family or chemicals in a beaker. Alter one planet, species, person or chemical and the entire system is changed and must achieve a new balance. By manipulating the various elements of the painting the viewer is brought closer to the artist by experiencing a part of the creative process. An inexplicable work of art becomes something that they can touch, see, understand and enjoy as a series of interactions between various shapes, colors and textures. Finally, the artist learns from the viewer that there are as many solutions to the design process as there are individuals in society. |
PHOENIX RISING 27 X 16 inches, Lascaux Acrylic on hessian mounted on panel Detail of paint surface NFS: Harris-Mahieu Collection buy it on cafe press |
INTERACTIVE PAINTING # 3: EVOLUTION 17 3/4 X 24, Lascaux acrylic, archival mylar, magnetic materials and cloth on panel Detail of paint surface By manipulating the various elements of the painting the viewer is brought closer to the artist by experiencing a part of the creative process. An inexplicable work of art becomes something that they can touch, see, understand and enjoy as a series of interactions between various shapes, colors and textures. Finally, the artist learns from the viewer that there are as many solutions to the design process as there are individuals in society. This painting has two sets of hanging hardware on the back. The owner can change it from a horizontal to vertical (or vice versa) composition at will. |
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| SPRING POEM 30 X 30 inches, Lascaux Acrylic on canvas Detail of paint surface Private Collection his painting began as an arrangement of greys mixed from complimentary hues. I started out with the canvas laying flat on a table and gradually developed the shapes and introduced color. An iconic image of one of my favorite woodland scenes began to emerge and I finished this piece as a tone poem. |
CRO-MAGNON PROGRESSION 40 X 30 inches, Lascaux Acrylic and collage on canvas Detail of paint surface buy it on cafe press I spent over a month working on this piece. It passed through several permutations from abstract expressionism, to a reproduction of a cave painting, to a collage to its current state. In my mind it represents the progression of painting over the last 35,000 years, and also the evolution of man’s relationship to the horse: from hunted to hunter’s companion. I began with the Cro-Magnon cave paintings of Lascaux in France and as the image progressed the ghosts of Monet’s water lilies hovered across the surface, and finally abstract expressionism resurfaced. |
Detail: INTERACTIVE PAINTING # 1: THE INDIVIDUAL 24 X 24 inches,Lascaux acrylic, archival mylar, magnetic materials and cloth on panel |
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| WALKING ON SUNSHINE 30 x 30 inches, Lascaux acrylic on canvas Limited Edition Giclee prints of this painting Detail of paint surface Private Collection buy it on cafe press Walking On Sunshine and Blue Moon are sister paintings created using my Divine Sunset painting of 1991 as a departure point. A sunset in the river valley has been a prominent motif in my art for over twenty years. I took a plein air image and worked inside creating these paintings as aesthetic reactions to the songs bearing their titles. Walking on Sunshine is a visual representation of my new life of self-acceptance and joy. Blue Moon represents similar emotions with a different mood. This pair of paintings has been very popular with viewers, they really respond to the mood of color and brushwork. |
BLUE MOON 30 x 30 inches, Lascaux acrylic on canvas Detail of paint surface Private Collection buy it on cafe press Walking On Sunshine and Blue Moon are sister paintings created using my Divine Sunset painting of 1991 as a departure point. A sunset in the river valley has been a prominent motif in my art for over twenty years. I took a plein air image and worked inside creating these paintings as aesthetic reactions to the songs bearing their titles. Walking on Sunshine is a visual representation of my new life of self-acceptance and joy. Blue Moon represents similar emotions with a different mood. This pair of paintings has been very popular with viewers, they really respond to the mood of color and brushwork. |
REMAINS OF THE DAYS 27 X 16 inches, acrylic collage on wooden panel Acrylics, modeling paste, paint tube, plastic Detail of paint surface buy it on cafe press In my studio I had a pile of dried paint that I peel off my palettes and save (some dated back to plein air works from 2003.) I have always thought it was beautiful, and a shame to throw it away. The idea struck me to use the pieces as a collage. Some pieces bear the imprint of the five gallon bucket lids that I use as palettes, and some are cut up plastic plates. This painting gave me the idea of cutting up paintings and reassembling them that I later developed into Caribbean Pixelation and the interactive paintings. |
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Limited Edition Prints of Mahieu paintings available
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