Shaped by Your Surrender

SHAPED BY YOUR SURRENDER 

Colored Pencil on 28 Sheets of Joined Paper 

01-08-2026

Lineage of Remembrance

LINEAGE OF REMEMBRANCE 

Colored Pencil on 28 Sheets of Joined Paper 

01-06-2026

 

Catching up….

Been focusing so much on working on creating new works on paper and forgot to keep this wonderful page updated. So much has been done since my last post. Here’s a smattering of new works that have been going on for a few years now. 

These are from my RIFFIN ON MATISSE series that I have been working on. The title comes from my enjoyment of the hand of Matisse and how he let his colors play on the plane. I used to be bothered by the way he wouldn’t color in all the lines, sometimes there was simply a dab of color in the area that we are led to understand is the entire color for a blouse. It took me a long time to realize that the dabs were a way of letting each color sing on its own, giving space between each color, allows them to be so much more bold in their action. Whereas when you butt colors directly to each other, the eye begins to see them as less vibrant. I had been doing that for years with my work, especially the work on paper. Only to realize later that by allowing the ground color to seep through, I was allowing the color of the art to shine brighter. Definitely a metaphysical experience going on there. One I’m sure Barnett Newman would have had fun with. Enjoy. As you can tell at the bottom of this post there is a much larger version included, I always enjoy making large work, but even in paper the larger work is more difficult to document and store for myself as my palace of art is constantly growing but my present space is consistently growing smaller with each new piece. Such a lovely problem to have.

RIFFIN ON MATISSE 1

12-15-2025

RIFFIN ON MATISSE 2

RIFFIN ON MATISSE 3

RIFFIN ON MATISSE  4

RIFFIN ON MATISSE 7

RIFFIN ON MATISSE 9

12-27-2025

Colored Pencil on 27 Sheets of Joined Paper 

Pat Steir Remembrance

Just learnt that Pat Steir passed away. I became a fan of her work many years ago. I think it was because of Chris Maybachs films ARTCITY. I had, at that time been in a mode of trying to get every piece of video on Brice Marden, as he was my favorite living artist. I found out about the Maybach films and eventually got it. From there it was learning about so many more artists, ones that I still mentally quote from all the times I have watched it. Her section was in there too, so I got to learn about her, at least from there. Soon after, thanks to our local library that had been known as the best in the country for many years, I was able to check out a few PS books and delve more into her work. When I decided to “remake” PAINTERS PAINTING, in my own way, she was one of the first people I reached out to for an interview. I remember that day so well as I had mistakenly added for an interview with Karen Wilkin the same day, two hours apart. Anyone that has done interviews knows that THAT is a bad idea. Well it’s funny how things work, she and I weren’t able to do our interview because she had a problem from leaving her personal book in a cab, and once that happened she was running around trying to stave off anything that might happen as a result. So I did get to spend some wonderful time in her studio, walking around and checking out the work to be, the smell of the turpentine and oil paint permeating the space. The size of such large paintings propped up on the wall, still glistening from the drying paint. Eventually her assistant says she’s not going to be able to make it. So I left with good conscience that I would return, but a part of me knew that wasn’t going to happen. Thankfully I did get to be in NYC for a few openings of different exhibitions of her paintings, that last one at Cheim And Read was quite spectacular imo. Especially the big rusted looking one. I think everyone in the room knew it was a nod to Richard Serra, and also done with the utmost of respect. Truly a fantastic painting. Thankfully at least I have this story to share. Better to share a nice ironic story aside from simply putting a picture up. She led a tremendous life and got to live it for a long time. Nothing to be saddened about here. It’s party time for Pat! 

Photo from Pace Prints

Franks Farm

FRANKS FARM

Colored Pencil on 28 Sheets of Joined Card Stock Paper

59.5 X 44 IN

This work is the beginning of a large series of work that I begun a long time ago when I first learnt of the initial prints of Frank Stella. His idea of a sheet of paper with the image he was making, placed into the corner and not centered as what would be the so called norm within printing. As I first witnessed, it was a strange idea to place the image in a corner, but alas its imagery stayed with me. So much so that as I began my work in colored pencil on joined paper, the idea of a shifted image stayed in my imagination and gave me much insight into the drawings that I was partaking in. As many images came forth, the desire to pursue this idea of a shifted image played more and more in my psyche and a deep need to create a new imagery that had its basis in the initial prints of Stella came forward and manifested in this work, which is the actual beginning of my newest series of works on paper. As the planning commences many questions arise as to how to begin. I decided to begin as many of my previous colleagues would have, by starting in a large format. One that allows for a great amount of detail and power over the psyche of the viewer. Colors are secondary, as the first and foremost idea is to figure out what to do. Once I had that figured out by using like Stella did, his paintings within the method of printing, the usage of my painting shape in my work, as I had done in many previous drawings, the simple idea of taking the image and shifting it towards a corner. Once that was in place, the next idea is what to do next. So much background but what to do with it. I decided that the background would be a simple monochrome, as the image needed to be set apart from the background and the most contrasting color to red is green. As the image came forth, so did it’s title. The marks of the Pencil as they overlapped each previous line created a look that to myself was like a field of green grass. This idea of a field of grass made me feel very comforted, like those large fields of grass that had been a part of my childhood. Swaying in the breeze. Once it was completed all that was needed was the writing of the title and the work’s information, and proper documentation, of which I am fully committed to as each work of art is finished.

Thanks for reading.

Have a wonderful day.

Jeffrey

Thank You

“Thank You” is the name I gave unto this new work as I wanted to let the Art know how much I appreciated it’s blessings. It’s one of the last I was making at the time with full pressure on the pencils and a hurt thumb afterwards…lol. 

Flourish

If you don’t follow the instagram account of mine you probably haven’t seen much more of these new works on paper that I’ve been concentrating on for the past few months. I’ve been having a lot of fun making them and everything I’ve learned in the process. So if you don’t follow that page I’ll be bringing them here in the coming times. 

This one is called FLOURISH