UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #4

Title “UP” (Mixed Media - Acrylic with Silver Leaf on canvas) 90x90cm

THE IDEA BEHIND THE PAINTING:

“Up” is what it’s like growing up in heart of Surfers Paradise which is a resort town on the eastern coast of Australia. I lived in Orchid Avenue, in the centre of all the excitement and very close to the beach. Life in the 60’s was more balanced than it is today, and great fun…..

The painting is meant to engender positive feelings and a sense of well being. The title gives the viewer a clue to the overall feeling of the painting…an UP feeling of fun. It also alludes to positive health – both mental and physical.

I thought it would be a good painting with which to start the New Year. May 2012 be filled with positive and uplifting energy.

ARTISTIC TECHNIQUES TO ACHIEVE THIS:-

This painting’s composition is created within a square canvas. This gives a feeling of balance. The viewer’s eye moves up (along the silver splash), along the horizontal band near the top, and then around this square. This movement around the image suggests dynamic excitement. The centre of the painting is rather still and gives a sense of stability.

The colours used are bright and uplifting – up-beat – warm colours give a feeling of fun and joy. The use of Silver Leaf gives a feeling of opulence – another positive.

The painting is done in acrylics – flat planes of seductive colour that give energy and movement – there is nothing stagnant about this image.. An emphasis on the repetition of pattern together with the symmetry of the horizontal line at the top, leads the viewer to extrapolate beyond the bounds of the picture into the future. Repetition (seen across the top) also provides rhythm and movement to the overall painting.