Chef or Chief - more than one way of looking at things

Chef or Chief   oil/canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

 There is nothing more not-me than painting by formula....you know what I mean.  You come up with a successful painting and try to repeat it either by style or by subject ad infinitum.  Spin Off.  That is the way the art market works. Been there.  Done that.

My yearning for novelty is so strong that I wish each painting to present too me different problems to solve and different ideas to consider.

This is/was a fairly old painting of a Chef that was painted from a live model situation.  Loosely stoked realism.  Very dark.  The title was "Trusting Chef Roger".  

My thought processes regarding painting has evolved greatly over time, and quite quickly most recently.  I need very very limited palettes, LOTS of light, and a distillation and simplification of form.  Design elements and principles have been my constant sidekick throughout the years and, at this point, I am involved in and seduced by the the combination of realism and abstraction.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

A large brush and an intuitive approach help here.  As I painted, I thought of the uniforms and regalia of positions of all kinds....the things that make these people stand out from the crowd.  Certain hats.  Easily identifiable uniforms.  Props.  Attitudes.

The result:  Chef or Chief.  I am pleased.  (and stimulated to carry this notion further).