Large Abstract

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City by the Sea, Acrylic on canvas, 48"x72"

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

Urban Jungle - Another Abstract Piece

Some years ago on a visit to the University of Michigan Museum of Art, I was awed by a much publicized exhibit the title of which I no longer remember. The exhibit occupied the entire main hall of the museum and consisted of 5-6 canvases, each about 60”X90”. All were completely blank with not even one brush mark of paint on them! An extensive artist statement went on to describe something about how the canvases represented a bold statement about the emptiness of the human condition, and so forth.

Displays like that probably contribute to the average viewer’s belief that abstract art can be done by anyone. I can recall seeing other examples of works in museums across the US and Europe that leave one puzzled as to why the piece is on display. A simple blob of one color on top of another says little to me either about the inspiration of the artist nor their command of the medium or technique. On the other hand, great abstract art can convey the tremendous inspiration and energy of its creator without requiring any philosophical assumptions by the viewer.

I did Urban Jungle in between some of the other works. Though a small piece, it was hard work with many steps. The paints were layered and lifted with both knife and brush. The textured appearance on the upper right was achieved by swirling and lifting paint rather than by adding thick paint. The composition is based on Bob Rankin’s idea of an uneven edge ratio in an abstract painting as a method to create interest. It seems to work.

Urban Jungle, Acrylic on 140lb watercolor paper, 6”X9”, Not for sale