Pieces of Eight: abstract

Showing posts with label abstract. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

JANUARY CHALLENGE - ABSTRACTION

Our January Challenge "Abstraction" entries from Cindy, Donna, Carmen, Carol, Jean, Kathy, Mary, Denette and Fay are below. Such a variety of expression...read all about it! (Click on any image to enlarge it.)

ABSTRACTION is really a complicated art form...practically you have to know how to draw and compose a realistic piece before you can successfully de-construct it into an abstract form. The years of hearing folks declare "my five year old could paint that" lead me to believe it was a matter of slinging paint Jackson Pollack-style. Not so fast....! I've never taken the time to study the process carefully but now and then I "dabble" in abstraction as a way to learn more about what does NOT work. Lately I have been playing with abstraction in tones of white. Here's a small sampling of what I had come up with:

Cindy Michaud

contact me at: art@cindymichaud.com

eh? not bad...but then again....I'll keep trying! I do think this is a more difficult genre than most folks think.

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Abstract Art is much harder than it looks and appeals to different people for different reasons. I really love abstraction for it's use of color. Sometimes as an artist and as an art lover I just want to see color. Color can be very powerful, color evokes lots of emotion, lots of memories so it can represent anything to the person looking at it.
This painting is an abstract interpretation of a marsh scene using just color. The real joy of abstract is it can be one thing to the artist and quite another to the onlooker.


The Marsh Donna Vines https://donnavinesart.etsy.com https://donnavinesart.blogspot.com ------

Greenleaf, 4"x4.5 "

This is my favorite abstract I've ever done. It is poured acrylic on wood, and it's tiny and shiny.

Carmen Beecher

https://www.carmensart.etsy.com

https://carmenbeecher.blogspot.com/

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Point of View
sold
Oil on Panel

I like the color, composition, and texture in this piece.

Carol Schiff
www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com
www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com

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The challenge of abstraction got me thinking about all of the ways we are pulled by electronic media. I have a love/no love relationship with digital media. For example, I love the Adobe programs and admire that they were developed by human beings and creative thinkers. Illustrator is my favorite. I created the artwork above using it. This was an exercise in repetition, pattern and rhythm. Also, it represents how you can get overwhelmed by all the parts if you open the box. Enjoy!

Jean Thomas

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I enjoy an occasional abstraction! Some people say all my designs are abstract since I don't ever paint anything in a realistic manner. But, to me, an abstract has no easily identifiable representation and is open to anyone's interpretation. The above was created in Illustrator and then taken into Photoshop. I call it "Signals from Another Planet" but you might see something else.

Kathy Garvey

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Several years ago I took a watercolor workshop with John Salminen. I thought it would include his wonderful street scenes, but it was all about abstract. It was fascinating and involved. Later I played with simplifying his methods, but always remembering his advice. This is a fairly recent painting I call "Warm Abstract."

Mary Warnick

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This is as close as I get to abstraction! Red by Denette Schweikert

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I am so impressed by the creativity of my colleagues in this challenge that I hesitate to post my own. In the collage below, I am following up on my November value study of the Appalachian Mountains. As you can see, this one uses geometric shapes to represent the mountains. You will have to use your imagination to make these mountains recede into the distance. The colors are not just right, but the papers were at the ready. In any case, it is fun seeing how my sketch translates into triangles, etc.

Fay Picardi

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Is it Abstract?

By Kathy Garvey

Since "Abstract" is the title of our monthly Pieces of 8 challenge for January, it's been on my mind. So, while out walking with my camera and taking pictures this morning, I thought I would use one of my photos of sidewalks (yep!) to make an abstract when I got back home. And then this blog entry was going to be about how something realistic can become something abstract. But, that's not totally what happened.

I started with this photo. (I'm fascinated by cracks in sidewalks!)

After straightening it in Photoshop, I applied some favorite filters and modified the color. Then I applied some patterns to it. All three versions definitely fit the category of "Abstract" to me. (Click on any image to enlarge it.)

That could have been the end of it, but Photoshop is just so fast and so much fun, I took the middle one into a new document, flipped it, rotated it, copied sections and created a new abstract that I liked more.

And that's when my own "interpretation" of this abstract happened. I saw two birds. So, I added "stuff" so that everyone could see two birds.

And that's how my abstract of something real (the sidewalk) turned into something that's not so abstract! Now, time to make that look more like a tree they are sitting in, right?

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Watch for our group write up on Abstract coming soon! We have a monthly blog challenge and this month it is titled "Abstract." That's it. You could interpret it how you wanted. I don't usually do abstracts except when I'm playing with Photoshop. However, because my frequent designs of birds and flowers aren't realistic but stylized, sometimes people tell me they are abstracts. So, for our blog, I made note of that and put in an image I created that is an actual abstract…in my mind, that's something that might suggest an idea but is open to interpretation. That, with entries from all of my fellow pieces, will appear at the end of this month. January 31st to be exact.

OK! Couldn't resist...

Saturday, July 8, 2017

Abstract II

Part of the joy of art is trying new things. Art is one of the few things that wants you to stray from the norm, get out of your "comfort zone" so to speak. If you have seen my Etsy shop or blog before you know my comfort zone is landscapes, I really love them. There is something so comforting to me about large areas of color. One blending into another. But, you will also note I have lots of other kinds of paintings and even different kinds of art on my site.
This is a 5x7 oil abstract of a seascape seen in a different way. It also uses large areas of color but only suggest what they may be. I really had fun with this. I like imagining different scenes each time I look at it.
I did a larger one first and used some of the suggestions from followers on this smaller one.
Enjoy.

Abstract II

donnavinesart.Etsy.com
donnavinesart.blogspot.com

Friday, January 16, 2015

Another cloudy day

Carol posted a wonderful sky painting yesterday. Coincidentally that is what we did in group on Thursday, clouds and skies. Carmen gave a demonstration explaining her techniques and use of color and tone. She also told us about some other painters she had discovered on YouTube and how they went about their paintings. It was really interesting and so much fun to watch.
After the demo we set to work on creating our own paintings trying to use some of the tips Carmen gave us. I think the best suggestion she had was to experiment. Everyone approaches their canvas differently, depending on their style, what they see and want to convey. Even though I had several photos with me I decided to put them aside and just paint my whole canvas blue and then put in some clouds. I had no other plan. I just wanted to lay down some paint, mix some colors, try different approaches and see what happened.
After awhile the clouds seem to take shape and lead me in a certain direction. Some of the clouds wanted to stay light while other areas called to be darkened. Some of the canvas did not want to be clouds or sky at all but the ocean. One little area demanded to be a piece of land!! It really was a great exercise in mixing, setting a mood and letting go.
Donna Vines

Monday, October 20, 2014

The Wheels are Turning

I not only enjoy painting in oils but I am also fascinated by all kinds of mediums. I love the idea of bringing familiar shapes to unexpected places. Sometimes the simplest everyday object can take on new meaning when placed somewhere unusual.
Here is a little taste of that very thing.
This piece was made with watch workings placed on a gessoed background and sprayed. I also added some wording just to make it more intriguing.
I was inspired by a Steam Punk show I had been to that had lots of wonderful metal contraptions ala H.G. Wells.

Donna Vines

Wheels

Friday, July 4, 2014

Experiment I

I have been experimenting again with abstracts. I found a wonderful workbook at the Library called The Artist Unique: Discovering Your Creative Signature by Carmen Torbus. I liked it so much that I check Amazon to see if I could buy a used copy and they had it for free if you have a Kindle!! That is a great deal. Happily I did upload it.
This is one of the exercises from the workbook. I used gesso, gel, texturing tools
(aka a plastic fork and credit card), some old sheet music and acrylic paints. Once I collaged the sheet music on I decided to stick with black and white. The enjoyment of this piece is seeing how the paint reacts to the surface. It run, puddles and settles in all the nooks and crannies. This was a fun exercise that made me want to try again with different textures and colors.
Donna Vines

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Daily Painting | Abstract Painting | Small Oil Painting | Wishful Thinking by Carol Schiff | 14x11" SOLD

Well, it has happened again.........I had the urge to try my hand at abstract again.

SOLD

I was determined to do a mixed media abstract, get out my many Golden mediums, and just have a fun day playing. Kind of like kindergarten. Why did I think that?

Don't I know that mixed media abstract is one of the most stressful things I can try? Why don't I remember that my mind goes blank, that I'm not one of those people that can stand in front of a blank canvas and pick up a brush without a plan?

Why do I always think, this time it will be different?

Well it wasn't. I worked at least 4, maybe 5 hours with my Golden mediums, getting the texture just right, carefully choosing the acrylic colors, blah, blah, blah. It was a mess.

The next day, I sanded down as much as I could, turned to my beloved oils, and ended up with this result. Something I can live with. Something that might give me a tad more confidence the next time I decide to do an abstract. Something that I really kind of ........ like. NEVER GIVE UP!!

www.CarolSchiffStudio.blogspot.com
www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com

Sunday, July 14, 2013

SHADES OF BLUE, 10X10" Acrylic Abstract Mixed Media by Carol Schiff

I am continuing on my path to abstraction and mixed media. The highlight of this piece, in my opinion, is the intense and gorgeous color. I am just not sure that the images will portray the depth seen in the actual piece.