Whispers After the Storm: The Creative Process

In my recent artwork, I've been deeply exploring the concept of PLACE within my series Finding Place: Observations and Abstractions of the Everyday. This series investigates the connection between people, places, and the details that define our daily lives. By blending realistic depictions of architecture and street scenes with abstract interpretations, I invite viewers to consider how we experience the world around us.

A few weeks ago, I created smaller pieces titled Texture Pop and Winter Forest, which served as stepping stones toward a larger idea: the abstraction of a scene. When I began working on Whispers After the Storm, my initial intention was to create a side-by-side composition that contrasted the texture paste with a calming blue background. However, as I moved the canvas to make room, I accidentally set it down sideways and was instantly captivated by the new orientation. The texture, now at the bottom, added a fresh perspective that I couldn’t resist.

The piece started as a monochrome image with a somewhat bleak quality, reflecting the quiet aftermath of a storm. Yet, I wanted to infuse it with more life and energy. To achieve this, I introduced more grid lines and bold reds, which shifted the overall tone and breathed new vibrancy into the composition.

This piece explores the essence of an urban scene through abstraction. Using thick acrylic modeling paste, the buildings are carved in rough, minimal lines, while the stormy blue background evokes a sense of stillness and subtle melancholy. The addition of red accents introduces strong focal points that disrupt the original calm, suggesting movement, like city lights or abstract signals. These accents contrast sharply with the blue, guiding the viewer's eye across the canvas.

The geometric grids and boxes add structure and an architectural rhythm, reinforcing the cityscape theme. These subtle lines provide more definition to the abstract buildings while maintaining the overall abstraction. The use of red over the textured modeling paste strikes a balance between softness and sharpness, adding depth and evoking the idea of a city evolving or revealing itself through layers of time.

Though the overall mood remains mysterious, the red and geometric elements bring vibrancy to the scene, transforming it from something dreary into a city alive with motion and glowing lights against a stormy backdrop. Through this interaction of color, form, and texture, the painting invites the viewer to feel the weight of the moment and sense the whispers of life after the storm.

Ultimately, this series encourages viewers to pause, reflect, and see their surroundings with fresh eyes—whether through a detailed representation or an abstraction of a scene that, at first glance, feels familiar yet invites deeper contemplation. It is an invitation to consider how we find meaning in the spaces we inhabit and how the simplest observations can shape our understanding of the world.

Whispers After the Storm

30 inches by 30 inches

Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

This piece explores the essence of an urban scene through abstraction. Using thick acrylic modeling paste, the buildings are carved in rough, minimal lines, while the stormy blue background evokes a sense of stillness and subtle melancholy. The addition of red accents introduces strong focal points that disrupt the original calm, suggesting movement, like city lights or abstract signals. These accents contrast sharply with the blue, guiding the viewer's eye across the canvas.

The geometric grids and boxes add structure and an architectural rhythm, reinforcing the cityscape theme. These subtle lines provide more definition to the abstract buildings while maintaining the overall abstraction. The use of red over the textured modeling paste strikes a balance between softness and sharpness, adding depth and evoking the idea of a city evolving or revealing itself through layers of time.

Though the overall mood remains mysterious, the red and geometric elements bring vibrancy to the scene, transforming it from something dreary into a city alive with motion and glowing lights against a stormy backdrop. Through this interaction of color, form, and texture, the painting invites the viewer to feel the weight of the moment and sense the whispers of life after the storm.