Black Gesso Experiment

I have been trying something new these past few months.... black gesso. I've always liked the look of hand painted linocuts, but not the carpel tunnel that goes along with them. Using black gesso as a back ground and intentionally leaving a black outline has given my paintings a graphic look I think I like. It has been a challenge to keep my colors bright and not muddy... but I think it's an experiment that has had some positive outcomes. Below are the paintings I'm working on for the Black Frame Art Sale in various stages of completion.