The abstract art project

Published by neil on July 19th, 2009 2 Comments »

Ever in search of another creative project, a new one has surfaced that allows both of us at home to work in parallel.

Learning and discovery are what drive me to get up in the morning. Once life gets down to mundane routine, I start to feel very uncomfortable. Art is playing an increasingly significant part in (almost) day-to-day life now – in part thanks to the Pet Portraits, etc. – so I thought it was time to explore other aspects of artistic work.

I have always wanted to explore more abstract works, and having not made it to art college – I aimed myself firmly in the direction of the graphic arts at the time – I have never really got around to experimenting.

Thanks to the book Abstract Painting by Rolina van Vliet, we now have many weeks of unique projects to work through. The book walks through abstract principles of composition and colour – and breaking such forms – through a series of guided exercises. Each exercise aimed at  experimenting with one particular technique, be it paint or drawing medium, colour, composition, texture, etc.

The initial project was so rewarding to the two of us, we decided to create a little website to document each project and post up our works side by side for all to see and comment. The site at Doing Stuff, presents our personal experiences and thoughts about each work, but does not say which of us produced which piece. We thought it might be fun to have visitors guess who did what, and already the results are intriguing. I hope friends and all will continue to follow the site and comment/guess each week.

I don’t like rules

That is perhaps the main realisation I have stumbled on now that I have worked the sixth project this weekend. Most so far have developed along the lines of:

1. Follow the directions while feeling increasing animosity towards the developing image
2. Try to beat back the urge to release whatever is bubbling to the surface
3. Plod along, following the instructions until something snaps
4. Respond to the urge, let out a surge of energy, and create something that is bordering on satisfactory

(One such surge-release ended up in a dead canvas, ripped and splattered with black paint!)

What I am learning is that there is something instinctive that gets released when painting like this. I’m not saying these surges of energy produce masterpieces, but they do reflect elements of what I am feeling and how I am reacting to the creative process. It’s uncomfortable, disconcerting, exhausting, but fascinating, and I am intrigued to see where it will eventually lead.

I don’t know how to handle acrylics

That’s the second realisation. I do have an excuse, having not touched acrylic paint since I was in school; I’m just a tad rusty! How artists cope with working wet-on-wet on large canvasses, I’ll never know. There are drying retarders and other techniques, but the paint still requires very different, and more spontaneous working style compared to oils.

That goes a little against my inclination to consider a painting’s development. It means that the work must generally be completed in a single sitting – at least if I want paint to mix with other paint on the canvas itself.

Oils, for example, allow time to sit and ponder the next stroke, to examine the work as it progresses and direct it based on developing ideas. Acrylics bring out the spontaneous in me, which though bursting with far greater energy, does leave me rather deflated afterwards.

The result perhaps is that I will ultimately select the medium based on the image I want to create. If that is what I learn from these exercises, then it is a valuable and ultimately productive lesson.

Go make a guess

The first project is up on the site, and a few guesses as to who produced which piece have already been left. No clues, but it is fascinating to read why a particular individual matched which piece with which artist. Above all, it is fun, so if you have not commented already, get yourself over there and make your guess!

Tags: abstract, art, learning, painting, play, projects, style
Posted in Creative | 2 Comments »