When starting out with a new palette or unfamiliar pigments, I often begin with small paper landscape

studies to see what the colors will do before trying to work on abstractions. Often these are tenuous

landscapes at best, but they are sufficient to give me an idea of what I can expect to happen when I

layer and combine different paints. The color variations interest me more than the details of the landscape.

This minimal aspect of the landscape is present in the larger landscapes on canvas as well, as I want color

and the quality of the paint surfaces to be the primary focus.