Posts Tagged ‘abstract art’
Abstract Art Class – Winter 2012 – #2 (2)
The lesson today was on Design Composition. Teacher gave each of us a sheet of paper with 12 designs for abstract art – probably the only different kinds of design formats possible. For each there was an example of the basic design and a painting using that format. For me, some were easy to see, some, not so much.
The Cruciform, Horizontal, Vertical and Diagonal formats were easy to see. The Cantilever and Golden Section (at the crossed lines of a tic-tac-toe game) formats looked similar in the paintings. The Constellation format was a series of mostly dots, a little heavier on one side than the other, perhaps shaped like a spiral. Meander was more like brush strokes all over the canvas (think Jackson Pollack). Curves was shown by overlapping circles or spheres, Overlapping Frames was overlapping squares and rectangles, some just outlined, some colored. Tension showed imbalance, large on one side, small on the other. Spiritual showed an equilateral triangle within a circle. Your challenge: Try to think up something different!
Abstract Art Class – Winter 2012 – #2
Last week teacher promised to show us a method of creating texture in abstract paintings and she began the class with this demonstration. We will put tissue paper on canvas or on 140# or 250# watercolor paper and she passed around samples of each for us to feel. She also folded the 140# paper to show that 2 or 3 foldings are necessary in order to tear it successfully. Also a little water on the edge weakens it making it easier to tear.
When applying tissue to paper or canvas always use craft tissue, not the tissue used for gift wrap. Apply a coat of matte medium to the paper or canvas, wad up a sheet of tissue and put it on the surface, allowing it to wrinkle in many directions. Be sure to cover the entire surface, using more tissue as needed. Using the matte medium again, paint over the entire surface, pasting down any loose parts. Put it in the sun to dry and it is ready for paint.
Abstract Art Class – Winter 2012 #1 (2)
In this blog, I would like to expand somewhat the steps mentioned yesterday in the creation of an abstract painting. Step 1 is a detailed sketch of the view. This drawing could be done in pencil or other media. Step 1 helps you to recognize the detail, shapes, shadows and light areas that make the view interesting. You are learning to recognize the elements of the photo and how they interact with each other. Step 2 creates a “softened reality” of the drawing in Step 1. Fine details are eliminated and unnecessary shapes begin to meld with others nearby. The goal is a stylized work with a result that is still recognizable and has many similarities to the original detailed drawing.
Step 3 is where the true nature of abstraction begins to take shape. In Step 3, further simplification takes place and all semblance of recognition is eliminated. The predominant shapes take command and the lesser shapes and elements dissolve. In some situations, this could be the last step in the process. Step 4 is a full-blown personal interpretation of the elements of your design/scene/subject. The three steps previous to this final artwork help you learn ways to trim unnecessary details and clutter, to begin to express personal emotions based on the drawn designs. The freedom that is afforded the abstract artist can be very liberating and rewarding. Eventually you will be able to bypass Steps 1 through 3, perhaps doing only one quick study to lay out the design and visualize the end result. Think: examine, distill, express!
Abstract Art Class – Winter 2012 – #1
My long time friend, Thelma, stays with me in Florida for the winter. She also is a painter and together we take classes in abstract art at the Center for the Arts at Bonita Springs. Last Wednesday, was our first day of class this year, and class went something like this:
The teacher, Shirley Blake, welcomed her 12 students and we all introduced ourselves. She explained the class procedure: critique on any paintings completed since last class, lesson of the day, painting time and quick critique at end of class. She will show us a variety of methods of creating abstract paintings. We will be using acrylic paints.
The lesson began with teacher demonstrating creation of an abstract picture from a photo, and she had a variety of photos from which we could choose. The first step was to draw the general design of the objects in the chosen photo in a rectangle. In the second rectangle, enlarge some parts of the original drawing, diminishing or omitting other parts. Repeat for a third rectangle, and the picture is becoming abstract. Repeat again in a fourth rectangle and by this time, there should be no recognizable object in the drawing. In abstract art there must be no recognizable forms.
My Abstract Art Class #4
Last week, the lesson in my Abstract Art class was about symbols. We thought of a bunch of symbols, some of which were heart, $, #, hand, star, @, !, yin yang, cross, +, =, fish, x o. An artist could make one or more paintings with each of these in mind.
Teacher then showed us photos which she had collected with some of these symbols in mind. Most of us used one of her photos as inspiration to make our own painting. This is the painting I made from one of her photos because my son was in a band for several years and that photo reminded me of him. I might even send it out to him as a gift!
My Abstract Art Class #3
Last week’s lesson in my Abstract Art class was creating a purely abstract painting. The teacher gave us each a large sheet of paper with 4 rectangles on it (assuming our canvases were rectangular). We were to put our left hand (if we were right handed) on two of the horizontal lines of a rectangle to mark where the rectangle was and close our eyes. With the other hand we made whatever kind of marks we desired. We repeated this exercise for each of the other 3 rectangles.
We then chose the design we wanted for our painting and drew it on the canvas. We could alter the design, if needed, to make the design more pleasing, and colored in the various shapes whatever colors we chose. Mine looked pretty good, no matter which side was up (we check each painting in this way) – but I may have to do something about “Snoopy”!
The Impatient Plein Air Painter (3)
If you are a plein air painter, perhaps you are interested in the differences in painting and handling between alkyds and traditional oils. Michael Chesley Johnson’s article in the December 2011 edition of the Artist’s Magazine lists some suggestions for working with alkyds.
Because alkyds dry quickly, you’ll want to put out only the amount you need for a session. Also, consider a paper palette which you can throw away; a wooden palette is harder to clean after painting with alkyds. You must discard alkyds because they will be unusable the next day. If you mixed the alkyds with traditional oils, the mixtures will take longer to dry than they would with straight alkyds.
Alkyd colors tend to be more transparent than traditional oil paints. Alkyds from the same manufacturer tend to dry with the same even finish. Windsor & Newton’s alkyds have a semi gloss finish; Gamblin’s give a matte finish. Be sure to clean your brushes right away; otherwise, the paint will dry on the brushes and ruin them. If you continue to paint with traditional oils, you may want to put aside a special set of brushes that you use only for alkyds.
The Impatient Plein Air Painter (2)
The traveling plein air painter will find that alkyds dry quickly enough to be easily managed. With a full alkyd palette, the paintings will be wet when you come from the field, but after a day or so, they can be stacked without damage – just use wax paper to separate and protect them.
For the painter who likes to work wet-in-wet, alkyds dry just enough during a painting session to become tacky. The surface then becomes receptive to taking on additional paint. Also, if you play with texture, you’ll be able to layer paint more quickly.
For the studio artist who builds up layers or glazes, each of which is allowed to dry, alkyds are great for establishing an under painting. With alkyds which dry in 18-24 hours, a new layer can be applied the next day. For painters looking to add many layers of glazes, the painting can be completed many weeks sooner than if done in oils. In addition, varnishing can be done much sooner, sometimes in as few as 3 months.
To my readers: look for blogs pots to come out about twice a week in the future.
The Style of a Landscape Painter
It has always amazed me that if several landscape painters lined up to paint the same scene no two would produce paintings that looked the same. The compositions would be organized differently, the artists would choose different colors to represent the landscape and they would apply the paint differently.
Ultimately one’s experiences and personality enable each artist to create a painting style unique to that person. One’s personality influences every choice, whether the subject is depicted realistically or abstractly, the strokes loosely or tightly, and the colors used. The painter’s style is as unique as his signature.
Inducing Abstraction (3)
Michael Albala continues. Abstraction is not a quantifiable skill like drawing, value relationships or compositional principles. It involves those principles, but it is also guided by one’s artistic personality. Some artists instinctively see the world in abstract terms while others prefer concrete representation. There is no right or wrong, good or bad choice, but here are some pointers to push your work toward abstraction.
1) Focus on an aesthetic. If abstraction places more emphasis on aesthetics such as value, color, pattern, shape and brushwork than it does on the subject, then making one of these aesthetics the “subject” can move the painting toward abstraction. 2) Apply ultra-limited focus. Landscape painters must always limit their focus to a smaller slice of the scene than is actually visible to them. As the painter continues this process, through an ultra-limited focus, an entirely different world can emerge. “It’s always about the painting as opposed to a literal depiction of place and objects,” says abstract painter Kathleen Earthrowls.