Small Landscape

Sunsplash, Acrylic on watercolor paper, 5"x7"

Third abstract in the red series

Red 3, Acrylic on mixed media paper, 6"x6"

Another small abstract

 

Red 2, Acrylic on mixed media paper, 6"x6"

Small abstract

Red 1, Acrylic on mixed media paper, 6"x6"

This week's abstract

 

Urban Sprawl, Acrylic on canvas, 16"x20"

Fiesta Time

Fiesta Time, Acrylic on Canvas, 16"x20"ab

Vortex

Vortex, Acrylic on canvas, 16"x20"

Joe Digiulio Workshop -- Fabulous Experience!

Untitled pieces from an abstract acrylic art workshop by Joe Digiulio. Very instructive, energetic and with lots of personal attention. The annual Art of the Carolinas is a great celebration of art put on by Jerry's Artarama in Raleigh, NC and well worth attending. There are lots of courses by well-known artists in various genres and media, along with a fabulous trade display of the latest in artist materials.

WIP -- Finished

Aerial Autumn, acrylic on paper, 12"x16"

Red abstract

 

Red, Acrylic on poster board, 5"x7"

Expressionist piece

Big Bang, Acrylic on canvas board, 12"x16"

This what I imagine the 'big bang' would have looked like -- a cauldron of thermonuclear reactions pulsing through space and creating our beautiful earth.

Summer Garden

Summer Color, Acrylic on canvas, 16"x20"

Starry Night

Starry Night, Acrylic on canvas, 24"x36"

Good to be back!

I don't know if it happens to other artists but sometimes I go through periods where I think a lot about painting but just can't get myself to sit down and put brush to canvas. Of course, there have been ample excuses to explain my long absence: a house move in the summer. extraordinary work events (nothing bad!), overseas travel - need I say more?

As I have done in the last year or so, after every break from painting I restart with a big enough abstract to provide room for unfettered brushwork. Dreamworld is a culmination of the various techniques I have been using for my abstract work.


The canvas was prepped with a heavy coat of gesso. Nothing beats laying on thick creamy gesso with a large knife and pushing it around the canvas! Once this was dry I gave it a light sanding to knock down the highest areas then began to layer on primarily reds and blues with various sized brushes. The finished piece still shows that direction of brush strokes was either vertical or sideways because I wanted to reinforce the square shape of the canvas.


Layers of red and blue glazes were laid on until I had the basic structure of the painting. I then used iridescent copper paint to add highlights that were left untouched in some places and scrubbed hard into the canvas in other places. The corners of the canvas were darkened with mixtures of browns and blacks made from primary colors. This helped to define the focal point of the painting.


Dreamworld, Acrylic on canvas, 36"x36", NFS

Happy New Year

I want to wish all of you a very happy new year and to thank you for your interest in my blog during 2009. Your support of my blog, whether through your supportive comments or by your repeated visits, has provided me much appreciated encouragement. Every time I have been gone from the blog for an extended period, I have felt compelled to come back and keep providing new posts for your pleasure.


Lately I have been delving more and more into abstract compositions. This has made me wonder how much looser my style could get with a bigger canvas. While I have always wanted to work in big broad strokes working with large canvases has seemed highly challenging .


The hardest part was working with an unstretched piece of canvas and not having a convenient workspace to place it on. I had to put it on the floor and then try to keep it from moving while I troweled the paint on it. Next most difficult was moving around the canvas to cover all of it while still maintaining perspective. Believe me, it takes some getting used to.


Untitled is not yet finished but I wanted to post it anyway. Let's see where it leads to. Isn't discovery the core of abstract art?

Untitled, Acrylic on unstretched canvas, 36"x48" (approx), NFS

Abstract Cityscape

Every time I go to big cities like New York or Chicago, I am struck by the abstract composition possibilities offered by the towering buildings. Even without attempting to capture the beauty of the often complicated and elaborate facades, just the shapes alone lend themselves to artistic interpretation.


In Cityscape I have tried to capture the basic vertical shapes of the buildings separated by a barely discernible street. I separated the sunny and shaded sides of the street by using warm and cool colors respectively. The entire painting is done with various sized knives but I left the roughest texture for the sky which is made up of white and bits of almost every other color in the painting to create a sense of harmony.


Cityscape, Acrylic on stretched canvas, 16"x20", $100

Abstract in Progress: Part 3 - Are We There Yet?

There are times when it is best to call it done whether the painting makes you happy or not. The abstract I started a week or so ago is now in its third iteration and it is not very satisfying. For now, I am going to set it aside and go on to something else so as not to keep overworking this piece.

Maybe I will come back to it some day or maybe this is it. Who knows?

Understanding, Acrylic on canvas, 18"x24", Not for sale

Abstract in Progress: Part 2

I don't know how hard it is for other artists, but I find it difficult to know when to call a painting finished. This challenge seems even bigger for non-objective expressionist art where the only frames of reference to define "finished" are completely inapplicable. It is not the purpose of abstract art to "look like something". So when is it done?

The unfinished abstract I posted a few days ago continues to evolve and I am not sure where it will go. Your ideas and comments are most welcome.

Understanding, Acryic on canvas, 18"x24", Not for sale

Abstract in Progress

I have not previously posted paintings in progress, but this is is different. I started working on this abstract after watching Bob Rankin's video about the 'edge ratio'.

The edge ratio is a concept that attempts to define an element that contributes to heightened interest in an abstract. The edge ratio is the manner in which the edge of the painting is segmented on the four sides. Theory proposes that interest is sharpened if the edge ratio is uneven on the four edges i.e. each of the four edges is segmented differently from the others.

Understanding is an abstract in which the edges are divided unevenly. The challenge still remains that a focal point of interest needs to be created so as to draw the eye inwards. Where should it be? I have not decided yet but decided to post the unfinished picture anyway in case you feel inclined to comment.

Understanding, Acrylic on canvas, 18"x24", Not for sale

Focus of Interest in an Abstract

Abstract paintings often seem to be a meaningless arrangement of color and form. In fact, careful study will reveal that the most striking abstracts have a clear focal point. In most contemporary abstracts, the focal point is usually defined by the point of maximum tonal contrast.

In Untitled Abstract, I experimented with a mostly dark background and then built up the color until the lightest highlight. The shapes have an organic feel to them without any objective representation. Additional texture was created by running a large comb through the second and third layers of paint. An old credit card was used to push the paint around and create some of the flowing lines.

Untitled Abstract, Acrylic on canvas, 36"x24", Not for sale