UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #17

Title “Heartland – My Buderim Backyard” (Acrylic) 90x90cm

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:

My inspiration for this painting comes from my backyard in Buderim on the Sunshine Coast of Australia. Buderim is situated on an old volcano and noted for its natural rainforest beauty. Many of my paintings are inspired from the natural beauty surrounding Buderim. Nature is my friend. It concerns me that much of the beauty of Buderim is under threat because many of the senior trees in this area that have historical significance are non-indigenous. The original indigenous trees of this mountain were the Australian Red Cedar that was wiped out a centaury ago by the timber industry. The early pioneers replanted the area with non-indigenous trees such as the Poinciana, Fig, Camphor Laurel and Slash Pine. Many of these trees have historical significance. However because they are non-indigenous and are not politically correct, the regional council is proposing to remove these trees off Buderim Mountain. This would be a great loss that would change this beautiful area for ever. .

The name of this painting is derived from the heart shaped leaf of the Monstera Delicio (non-indigenous) plant. Buderim is my backyard. Keep Buderim beautiful.

Artistic techniques used in the painting:

Like “Greener” (last week’s post) conservation of nature is the subject. It is well suited to the colour green, which is the dominant colour in both paintings. This painting however is more realistic.

I started this painting by pouring paint onto the blank canvas to break up the white surface. This “breaks the ice” for the painting process. You can see some of that initial application still with the organic growth in the background. I have retained a degree of flatness but have achieved the sense of depth, not by perspective, but by putting darks against lights. This is what gives the painting its representational characteristics. In “Greener” (last week’s post) the painting surface did not have depth and I used analogous colours. Here I use complimentary colours. Complimentary colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel. Both paintings are well balanced and are set in a square.

You can see that I have used different techniques in these two paintings to convey similar meaning. Which of the two paintings do you think expresses the message best? Are you beginning to better understand of abstract art? Can you enjoy and appreciate abstract art more?

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #16

Title “Greener” (Acrylic) 90x90c

ABOUT THIS PAINTING

This painting deals with our environment. The title “Greener” is self explanatory – we need to be vigilant in preserving trees, forests and jungles on this planet for our continued existence. We need to keep the environment balanced and healthy. Controversial subjects like the environment can often be construed as being political. This is not the case here. In Australia there is a political party called the Greens – this painting does not have any affiliation with a political party. I do not have a political nature but rather my concern for environmental issues stems from observation and common sense. If humans continue to indiscriminately destroy the Earth for self interest and profit then a fitting analogy is a cancer which finally destroys the body that hosts it.

Artistic techniques used in the painting

The conservation of nature is a subject well suited to be painted in an abstract way. This week I will review an abstract approach and next week I will post a more realistic painting along a similar theme. You then can judge for yourself which is the most effective in conveying the message.

The reason I like abstract painting is that this modern world is bombarded with visual images, and in many cases the image has been tampered with to the point that its validity is no longer true i.e. changing, enhancing or distorting through digital processes. Therefore I depict this abstract subject in a subjective way so that at an emotional gut level the content “feels true”. I am interested in conveying the abstract concepts to the viewer rather than painting a pretty picture that a camera can capture.

The composition of this painting depicts elements on a flat plane. There is no perspective. This is a defining feature in many of my paintings. Flat planes of colour are also evident in Abstract Expressionism. This engages the viewers interest, encourages them to explore the artwork further. The flat plane (instead of perspective) in this painting suggests continuity and a sense of trust in the cycles of nature and of natural law.

In my opinion a painting should be able to be turned upside down and still look balanced. As a painting is evolving it is also good to view it in a mirror which reflects any imbalance

Colour in this painting is expressive and is unmistakably tied to the subject being addressed. There is mid-high tonal value, which means that there is little contrast giving an overall mid-tone. Greens are often considered difficult to use. I have used analogous colours in the overall painting – meaning that the colours used are close to each other on the colour wheel – a limited range of blues and greens.

Do you, the viewer, see the painting in a different way now? Does it make you think about the subject

Remember next week, a similar subject will be posted but it will be presented in a different more representational way.

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #15

Title “The Hierophant - Chiron - Master of the Spiritual Realms” 

 (Acrylic) 

 90x120cm 

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:

My academic training is in Psychology and Expressive Therapies. Expressive (Art) Therapy uses art as a counseling tool. I have also been a painter for most of my life. These two disciplines are therefore woven into my paintings.

The MMPI or Personality Inventory is a tool used in Psychology to assess different personality indices within the spectrum of an individual’s personality. It is a Personality Test and a useful tool to sort people into different classifications based on qualities which makeup each person’s personality.

 

The ancient Classical Greeks have a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses that represented similar qualities. Freud and Jung’s psychological theories drew heavily from the Greek myths and philosophy. When I painted the Goddess Series, I was examining aspects of my own personality. According to Jung, men and women each have both male and female qualities within their personality. A man will generally have those characteristics that are celebrated as male such as “strength” etc., but also will have to a lesser extent, qualities that are attributed to females such as “caring”. A woman also will have those qualities that are specifically female such as “gentleness” but can also have qualities attributed to males, such as “courage”.

The Goddess Series focused mainly on female Goddesses and those qualities within my own personality. Included in this exhibition however were some of the Greek Gods.

This painting "The Hierophant" was shown at the end of the video by Natalija Brunovs that was recently released called “Tanmayo – Abstract Artist” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ2MzRmoKBA . Figure 1 (above) shows how the painting evolved.

Artistic techniques used in the painting:

The finished painting has a strong diagonal emphasis in its composition. A diagonal often is unsettling to view and suggests discord. However the overall composition is balanced. The tonal value between the reds and the darks is relatively consistent contributing to the flat look - an example of a very high tonal value would be if the reds were changed to whites.

Acrylic paint lends itself well to abstract painting in that it provides coverage to a large canvas and the new acrylics offer a wide range of colours, the consistency and drying time being similar to that of oil paints. In this case I started with no specific idea in mind and just applied paint, but as the painting progressed I sort to bring order to the overall image using the artistic techniques discussed above.

Some artists have a number of paintings on the go at once, however I do not work like that. I usually work on a painting until I have reached a conclusion. I may however recycle an older painting over time.

Over the past three weeks I have reviewed some of the paintings shown in video. This post concludes with a few comments on what it was like for me to be videoed. I am an introvert by nature and am not eager to be “out there”. However being introverted does not mean that one does not have well thought out opinions, and it is with this in mind that I grasped the opportunity of this video. Due to Natalija’s sensitivity and skill, the video captures the essence of what I strive to achieve in my painting. I am not a natural performer and I think that Natalija has done a superb job in portraying what my painting is about.

The Goddess Series should be seen as a whole because it was painted as a celebration of my being and exhibited at an important turning point in my life. Has it helped you to better understand abstract art? Has your attitude to abstract art changed? If so, I would love to read some of your comments.

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #14

Title “Window on the World” (Acrylic) 92x61cm

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:

This painting was awarded Highly Commended at the Rockhampton Art Competition. The painting describes a world that is polluted but with glimpses of clarity and hope. This painting evolved through over-painting. The sequence is shown in Figures 1,2, and 3. The underpaintings are relatively realistic and symbolize an enlightened meditative state of being. The final painting depicts the reality of the material world.

The painting sequence was also shown in the video by Natalija Brunovs called “Tanmayo – Abstract Artist” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ2MzRmoKBA and serves to demonstrate my painting process.

Artistic techniques used in the painting

The underpaintings are structured and balanced and because of this the more abstract final image still retains the balance that the earlier works showed.

I rarely sign my paintings because I like the flexibility of being able to hang a painting in which ever way it is best suited. Therefore the final painting “Window on the World” is vertical whereas the earlier ones are horizontal.

The title “Window on the World” serves the painting as a plea to humanity to be mindful of the damage it is causing to this world. In my opinion Abstract Art is the best way to convey abstract subject matter such as this. Would you agree?

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #13

Title “Desert Places” (Acrylic) 120x90cm

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:

I thought I would continue the theme of deserts. This week is another painting on that subject. This painting (#13) and painting (#12) from last week were both featured in a 3 minute video about my painting process. The title of the video is “Tanmayo – Abstract Artist” and it is produced by a good friend of mine Natalija Brunovs (Video Producer). You can view it her or on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ2MzRmoKBA

The video shows how I use a process of elimination to arrive at a finished work. In it I talk also about how my art making process is closely aligned with the way I lead my life – that I respond to what life presents in the Now and am not “attached” to what went before. My painting process is therefore a parallel to my personal approach to living. “Desert Places grew out of an earlier painting from The Goddess Series (see Understanding Art #9). The earlier painting was called “Hestia – Goddess of Spirituality and the Hearth”. So I re-cycled an older painting (see here in Figures 1,2,&3).

I will discuss the older work at another time, but you can see that there are a few elements from the “Hestia” painting that still remain in “Desert Places”. (Subjects 1,2,&3 above “Desert Places” show you, the reader, the way this painting progressed This is a bit like life where traces of the past continue into the present.

Artistic techniques used in the painting:

The title comes from Robyn Davidson’s book “Desert Places” which I read around the time of painting. However the painting is not about the book but deals with my own personal journey in life.

I have always liked the warm soft colours of the desert. I also like the landscape and open spaces found in deserts. This painting is a celebration of having cleansed one’s self of unnecessary emotional “baggage” and seeing things from a different perspective. A desert is not devoid of life – in fact if you look closely it teams with life and when the rains come there is an explosion of abundance. The orange and blue are colours that are complimentary opposites. The painting shows water, sky and earth. The composition is balanced because of the horizontal blue “sky” and the “waterhole” at the bottom. The other “waterholes” are remnants of the past painting – which showed “the hearth” which is associated with the Goddess Hestia. Don’t you think it looks like a desert place?