Abstract Art : abstract paintings

February 25, 2014

Fine Tuning Two Abstract Paintings

I often let new paintings sit for a while and then give them another look. Today I worked on two abstract paintings that had been hanging around the studio. I liked them both, but felt they might still need something more.

In this first one, I added just a few more spots of color--a bright orange and a pale yellow--which made a big difference, I thought. Then I played with it some more, mixing a light blue with white to make an even paler shade, and using it throughout the canvas where I thought it might do some good. Check out the original painting, and see if you can see the difference here:

Abstract Painting #225, 40" x 30" acrylic on canvas.

While fine tuning the next painting, I made more drastic changes. I had been focusing on black and white and grays in recent painting sessions, but this time I went back to the colors in the underpainting: yellow, orange and red.

I began with a cadmium red deep, adding circles of this color interspersed among the dark gray and black circles toward the bottom of the canvas. I continued the layers of circles, working my way toward the top of the canvas, with cadmium red medium and red light, a medium orange, and finally cadmium orange.

Abstract Painting #224, 36" x 30" acrylic on canvas.

Feb 25, 2014 12:05:12 PM | abstract paintings, Art Process, how to paint, painting process

July 15, 2013

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

July 03, 2013

The Adventures of Hanging Art

I have no idea why I scheduled three exhibits this summer--two of them the same month, except that summer is a good time to have an art show in Ithaca. We get lots of tourists, who are attracted by our lakes and gorges as well as the wine trails.

The first challenge in hanging a show is deciding where each piece will go. Luckily, I had chosen sizes and colors that mostly worked in the space. I always bring extra, but there were only two that we couldn't find a place for this time.

We had to wait until the previous artist took down her work, and I had misunderstood the time we would meet. But by getting there an hour early, we got all my paintings inside the building before the heavy rains descended.

We were supposed to hang the paintings from hooks with wire, but it would have been tough to do that with my larger paintings. Fortunately, we were given permission to put hangar nails in the walls. My daughter volunteered to stand on a stepstool to do the measuring and nail placement.

The largest space at the Americana Winery and Cafe was the tasting room--but it was not that well lit on the cloudy day we were having. Fortunately, my 48" x 48" colorful abstract paintings don't depend on a lot of light to stand out. The snapshots I took of the exhibit did not come out great because of glare from a window, but this will give you an idea of the space.

The second room we hung the art was the cafe, which had a lot more light. All the spaces there were small, but I brought along enough 16" x 20" and 20" x 20" paintings to fit them.

The exhibit will be up for the month of July and ended up including sixteen paintings.

Jul 3, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract paintings, art exhibit

May 29, 2013

New Abstract Painting in a Lighter Mood

Sometimes I just want to be light and frivolous in the studio, and that's how this new abstract painting came about. I began with a cadmium red light, which is one of my favorite colors.

I worked in an overall manner with loose brushstrokes. I used parchment and a pale yellow for light and airiness. I added several shades of lavender for fun. A darker plum red gave some weight, and a pale green-gray provided the background.

After playing with all these colors, I stood back and decided the painting needed a touch of black. Using a smaller brush with a thinned-down mars black, I made some quick playful strokes.

Here's what it looks like now:

Exotic Travel Two, 40" x 40" acrylic on canvas.

May 29, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract paintings, how to paint

May 08, 2013

A Change in Style and Color in New Painting

I have given myself permission to try anything these days, since I'm working on small canvases that don't require a huge commitment in time or cost. In this latest experiment, I changed the style and color palette I normally work with.

First I painted the whole canvas with titanium white--thick enough so that it would blend with the colors I added. Using a brush, I added small amounts of brighter colors--yellow, orange, green and blue.

Letting the paint swirl together, the blending with white produced delicate pastel shades. I added a bit of burnt umber, more white, and continued to blend without completely oblitering the original colors.

Next I drew swirling lines in white, and then added a few in Prussian blue. The result is very different from most of my work.

Abstract Painting #193, 20" x 20" acrylic on canvas.

May 8, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract paintings, color

April 29, 2013

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

March 25, 2013

Six New Abstract Paintings Are Now On My Website

There's always a lag between making an abstract painting and getting it up on my website. I usually do groups of four to eight before I think about it. First, it takes time before I'm sure the paintings are finished. Then, I make sure the sides, top and bottom are painted to match the front image.

The next step is to scan each painting on my Epson high resolution scanner. I scan the paintings in sections, and use "photomerge" in PhotoShop to knit the images together. After editing, I have a high-resolution image file from which my giclee prints are made.

Recently I added six paintings to the new paintings gallery on my website. Here are two:

Modern Art Nineteen, 20" x 20" acrylic on canvas.

Modern Art Twenty-One, 20" x 20" acrylic on canvas.

Mar 25, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract paintings, Giclee Prints, modern art

February 13, 2013

Experimenting with a Palette Knife in New Painting

This week I've been painting almost entirely with a palette knife, which has a very different effect than a brush. I am using a 5" long knife, with a flat 1/2" surface. I've had this knife for ages, and always wipe it down very carefully before the acrylic paint dries. Otherwise the surface would be ruined.

As I get older, I have to be much more deliberate about cleaning my palette knife and brushes, making sure all tubes of paint are capped, etc. An artist's tools are precious and we need to take care of them. So I always do a final check of my painting table before I leave it to make sure everything has been taken care of.

I began this painting by adding the lightest colors first: titanium white, parchment, and unbleached titanium, letting them blend a bit with the lightest color near the top of the canvas. Then I made a couple broad sweeps with yellow, medium magenta, and Prussian blue, cleaning my knife before each color to keep it pure.

At this point I got the urge to try something, and began to scrape the painted surface with short strokes of the side of the knife. Since the paint was still wet, it came off, leaving a pale blend in a rectangular shape. This result entranced me so much that I began to do it over the whole surface, changing the angle and size of the scrape and cleaning my knife periodically.

As I worked, I regularly stood back and studied the composition to see where I thought another scrape was needed.

Painting #171, 16" x 20" acrylic on canvas.

Feb 13, 2013 1:00:00 PM | abstract paintings, painting process

September 24, 2012

New Paintings & Abstract Prints Now on My Art Website

I just put up some of my recently completed abstract paintings (with prints available, too) on my art website. It always feels good to finish a new body of work and present it to the public.

I am trying to finish up projects I'm working on so that I can start getting ready for the open studio weekends coming up on our Greater Ithaca Art Trail beginning October 6. That means I've been looking through the work in my studio, trying to decide what to do with it.

I found one large painting that I had turned toward the wall. I thought I had finished it months ago, but looking at it again, I decided it definitely needs more work. I am just not happy with it. So that will give me a new project to work on after the Art Trail is over.

Here's one of the new paintings now on my website:

Abstract Art 55, 40" x 30" acrylic on canvas.

Sep 24, 2012 1:00:00 PM | abstract art, abstract art prints, abstract paintings

September 03, 2012

Labor Day Art Week

Today is Labor Day in the US: no mail or garbage collection. Banks are closed. Families are enjoying their last barbeque before school starts. It is unclear how all this celebrates labor, but that's typical of national holidays.

I am not a fan of holidays and often fall into a funk during them. Ditto for today.

I saw family and friends yesterday and have nothing planned for today. I was going to treat it as a work day until I fell into this depression. Remember, I am bipolar.

So I decided to share some of my favorite older paintings with you this week. They were sold before I made high resolution images of them, and do not appear on my website.

Telling You, 40" x 40" acrylic on canvas.

Sep 3, 2012 2:10:05 PM | abstract paintings, Bipolar Artist

Abstract Art

Abstract art, abstract artists, and the daily practice of painting and drawing.