Product Design
I began plein air painting (painting on location) in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, as a way to preserve my sanity and become more in touch with my immediate natural surroundings. All the plein air paintings I do are completed outside, in the elements, which creates a feeling of spontaneity and freshness in the work.
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I began to pay closer attention to my oil paint palette during these painting sessions. I was often working quickly (1-2 hrs per painting) to catch the light in a certain way, and my palette had to change just as quickly. I began photographing my palette as I was painting, as my own personal momento from the experience.
From these samples of my oil painting palette at different stages, I began to create products. The oil paint palette began to take on the life of a kinetic abstract painting, as it constantly changed as I worked on the painting. It reminded me, at the time, how while I felt like I was standing still during Covid, everything around me was still growing and changing minute to minute. In this case, that change gave me hope.
