Davyd Whaley

FIELDS OF PLAY is an oil painting on canvas, which I worked on

during the rainy season in Los Angeles, California. It began as

an experiment with color. I rolled out as much canvas as

possible along my studio floor, working the flat surface on my

hands and knees. I used mixing bowls to mix various colors. I

sat mid-canvas, on the edge of the canvas, and also laid down

horizontally to create it. I would listen to the trains go by outside

during the rainy afternoons and feel a draft come through the

windows of the studio, wishing it were warmer and that the sun

would come out and be brighter. I painted away the cold. I

painted away the negative aspects of the environment. I would

take breaks and read my dream journal about grassy plains,

meadows, flowers, and things that I saw in the water. Figures

would appear and then I would paint over them, shadows hiding

behind light. The texture in the painting is very elaborate. An

entire under-painting exists underneath. FIELDS OF PLAY was

created as an expression and meditation. Our environment is

always a factor in what we create or can be – sounds,

temperature, light. This is the bigger picture of my work.