There is a new collection of artwork on my website, called Smaller Panels.   All the works in this new collection are on 12” x 12” hardwood panel boards.  Although I enjoy working on my large cradled boards there are two components I wished to satisfy., 

During the time  I'm creating larger artwork, I often get ideas I am pulled to experiment with.  Normally (is there a normal for artists?) ideas and work like this would be on paper or in sketchbooks. I have always been frustrated with paper, as my materials and technique just warps , rips or doesn’t work for me.  The other area I wished to address is to find a way to make more affordable work for the people who are not ready to invest in a larger piece.    Enter a new tool!  I recently invested in a table saw with a guide (whoohoo) which enables me to fairly easily cut 4 foot by 8 foot hardwood panels into 12” x 12” boards.  This creates a relatively affordable substrate to use.  Regardless of how free an artist is, and how free they are to focus on their creativity and process, there is always the cost of materials to consider.  A cheap surface can stimulate experimentation, spontaneity,  and play with the notion it is  disposable if it is "bad".  Sometimes this results in amazingly dramatic and strong artwork.  (Trust me, I also make a significant amount of bad  artwork!) More often than not this results in amazingly dramatic and strong artwork.

I love this new collection!  This playground was perfect for warming up, waiting for layers to dry, and working when I have a short amount of time.  I would lay out multiple panels on my table and work on them simultaneously.  One  result, the headline photo, became a group of six  that can work as an overall piece.  Each panel is wonderful on its own, but the total creates  a more  dynamic whole, for a 24” by 36” piece.  I have no idea whether this will eventually get divided up, or eventually displayed as a whole. .  

I always wish to make adding artwork to your life easy.  I know that framing presents another level of cost and discomfort.  I create these, as I do all my artwork, ready to hang in your home.  (See photo below).  They can also look great in a frame if desired.  

Head on over to the Artwork section on my website and look in the Smaller Panels Collection. 

Here is the link:  https://kschaffel.faso.com/viewcollection/187345

All the artwork is for $250.