Abstract Art : abstract art

New Palette Knife Painting in Red, White and Black

I used a brush to cover this 24" x 24" canvas in a parchment background before beginning the foreground with a palette knife. Then I chose cadmium red to begin laying down colors with the knife, applying thick swaths of the acrylic paint.

Next, I added a few swaths of cadmium orange, and then used titanium white to set off these colors, being careful not to let the white blend too much with the red and orange. The last color I used was mars black, quickly swiping it onto the canvas to get a sense of sharpness and energy in the marks.

After that, I did a back-and-forth dance--adding more of this color here, that one there, blending the paint in some areas, being careful not to in others. Working with the palette knife is always tricky--you can get interesting effects by overlaying colors, and by using the knife to scrape away paint, leaving the under color.

My last step was to draw lines in black, outlining some shapes, adding texture, and defining the overall composition. By outlining a "negative space," for example, I could change it from background into foreground.

Stopping in time is also important--before you overdo an effect and wreck whatever the painting has going for it. I think I stopped in time on this one--when I look at it again tomorrow, I'll decide.

Abstract Painting #229, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

Mar 4, 2014 11:30:12 AM | abstract art, how to paint, painting process

Finalizing a Painting Commission

I've had a hard time finalizing two paintings for a commission I received recently. The paintings need to work separately or together, and will most likely be hung a few inches apart. The list of required colors was long, with little room for me to add or subtract colors to make the composition work better.

I worked for a long time on one set of two paintings, but didn't like the way they came out. So I started two new canvases, and was much happier with the results. I let the paintings dictate what they needed instead of a formula of prescribed colors and percentages of each. Not that my client was that specific, but the instructions were way more constrained than I usually have when doing a commission.

I sent the photos to my client, and she liked them. But she still had a request for some changes. One color wasn't the exact shade she wanted, and the paintings were missing another color she thought should be there.

So I reworked the paintings to bring them in line with her requests. And that made her happy. And the paintings are now on their way to her home.

Commissioned Painting #1, 30" x 36" acrylic on canvas.

Commissioned Painting #2, 30" x 36" acrylic on canvas.

Dec 11, 2013 2:17:37 PM | abstract art, Painting commissions

Read My New Art Blog

I have a new art blog post today about revising a painting with a looser interpretation. You may read it on my art website.

Jul 16, 2013 11:48:05 AM | abstract art, Art Blogs

New Art on My Website

Please note that I will be moving my art commentary to my website blog, where you can sign up to be notified when new posts come out. At the top right of the blog there is a space to subscribe by entering your email addess.

I just put six new paintings on my art website. I finished them a couple of weeks ago, but it always takes a while before I get around to scanning or photogaphing them, sizing them in photoshop, and finally using Dreamweaver to insert them into my web pages.

I put every new painting in three places on my website: (1) in my gallery of new paintings, (2) in a catalog of square, horizontal, or vertical paintings, and (3) in my listing of all unsold original paintings. I try to make it as easy as possible for people to find what they are looking for.

Here are two of the new paintings:

Modern Art 35, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

Modern Art 39, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

Jul 15, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract art, abstract paintings, modern art, modern painting

Still Not Satisfied With a New Painting

Lately I've had a lot of trouble deciding if a new painting is finished or not. In fact, I'm looking at ones I thought were finished and repainting them. I just have a general disatisfaction with what I'm doing in the studio, though I keep painting. From experience, I've found that continuing to work is the best antidote to this kind of disatisfaction.

Here's the painting before I started working on it today:

Painting #199, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

I began today by taking a palette knife and applying large swaths of titanium white. Then I brushed over most of the underlying image with a pale green and cobalt teal.

Next I drew lines with prussian blue and brushed over them. In the final step, I drew lines in mars black, creating a grid-like structure over the whole canvas, and then drawing several circles.

Tomorrow I'll take another look.

Painting #199, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

Jul 11, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract art, Art Process

Having More Fun in the Studio

When you put your art out there for the world to see, which we can all do now thanks to the internet, you get all kinds of reactions. Those of us who have made art all our lives and exhibited publicly in gallery shows, have enough experience to let the negative reactions and comments slide off us for the most part.

When you are painting abstract art, especially, you can expect some people to say, "My kid could do that," or to think we make abstract art because we don't know how to draw and paint realistically from life.

When I wasn't selling my art, I painted for myself. Once I began to sell it, I worried more about my "public." And since I write about my art all the time, I was careful to keep my private life and opinions out of it.

But here I am, at the final sprint of life. I feel I can paint and write what I want to now without the burden of censorship. That doesn't mean I don't edit or try to write in the most engaging way possible. I still care about the writing process and the painting process.

All of that is a long introduction to the work I'm doing now repainting some of my old canvases. I'm letting my self go and having more fun in the studio.

Today I continued work on Entropy Two, solidifying colors and shapes to make the composition stronger and clearer. I worked slowly, stepping back often to see what I wanted to do next.

Entropy Two, 36" x 36" acrylic on canvas.

I like it now. I'll see what I think tomorrow.

Jun 14, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract art, Art Process, Art Writing

Revisioning an Older, Monochrome Painting

I had liked this painting when I first completed it, but after looking at it again, I decided it needed a revision. I began with one of my brightest colors, cadmium red light, filling in three shapes with a brush. Then I filled in a few more with cadmium red medium.

Ah, it looked brighter already! Then I kept at it, using a pale lavender, cadmium red deep, white, and a pale green-gray. I worked loosely, allowing small sections of the original painting to show through.

Then I drew sketchy lines in white for interest and highlights. My final step was to draw lines in Prussian blue, outlining some of the shapes. With a brush, I flattened those lines and blended then with the other colors.

Here's the original:

Accentuate the Positive, 36" x 36" acrylic on canvas.

Here's the revision so far:

Accentuate the Positive Two, 36" x 36" acrylic on canvas.

Jun 5, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract art, painting process

Six New Abstract Paintings Are Now on My Website

I recently added six of my new abstract paintings to my website on the gallery page I have reserved for my latest work. There is always a lag between creating the art and getting it up on my website, but I try to do it after completing six to eight canvases.

When I look at these six paintings, they look quite disparate--without too many resemblances. They are connected in that I painted them all using a palette knife, but brushwork shows in each as well.

They are all 24" x 24". This small size allows me to work quickly and makes it easier for me to experiment. I don't have to worry about ruining a large, expensive canvas. And I can try things out on a smaller scale.

Here are two of the new paintings:

Modern Art Twenty-Four, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

Modern Art Twenty-Six, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

Apr 29, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract art, abstract paintings

Using a Palette Knife in New Acrylic Painting

I'm still experimenting on small canvases, applying the acrylic paint with a palette knife. After my first red, yellow and white painting, I tried another one today. First I applied white and parchment in the center third of the canvas, blending them with the knife.

Next, I applied cadmium yellow light to the top section, and then alizarin crimson along the bottom. This formed my background grid. Then I put enough pyrole red on the knife to make broad sweeps up from the crimson toward the yellow.

I was careful not to have too much blending, keeping the red mostly separate from the white and yellow. Then I decided I needed more white, and added some, again without mixing it too much into the color underneath.

I used the knife to do a little blending and scraping, but not too much. Then I drew lines in cobalt green to add texture and contrast.

Now I have too of these red, white and yellow canvases. Tomorrow I'll decide what to do next with them.

Abstract Painting #186, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

Mar 27, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract art, how to paint

Underpainting Lets the Light Shine Through

I began this painting with white, parchment, and unbleached titanium, blending them together with a palette knife as I covered the whole canvas.

Then I used the knife to apply a few broad sweeps of medium magenta, pyrole orange, and Paynes gray, being careful to let these colors rest on the suface of the underpainting.

After cleaning my knife, I began to scrape off the top coat of paint, and to blend the top coat with the underpainting colors. As I worked, I stepped back often to see how the composition was taking shape.

I left a lot of the light colors showing through in the center of the canvas, and blended the gray into the background along the edges.

Painting #181, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

Mar 11, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract art, Art Process

Abstract Art