UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #32

 

“The Range” 

(Acrylic) 

Size:  61x61cm

THE NARRATIVE BEHIND THE PAINTING:

This painting is an experiment in composition.  It deals with a limited pallet (yellow/purple/pink/white).  This composition invites the viewer to take a journey into the painting….a mysterious journey…where are the trees?  Being a regional practitioner I often address local environmental issues in my artwork.  This painting is no exception – it is devoid of trees.  In my personal life, the village in which I live is renowned for its leafy treed environment.  In fact the emblem that signifies Buderim is a Poinciana tree.  Buderim Mountain has a population of about 30,000 residents.  It has been settled for 150 years.  It has many imported trees that are mature and significant which resulted from planted by the pioneers to the mountain.  However the Qld and Local Governments have decided that trees should to be indigenous to be politically correct, and plan over the next five year to remove a large number of non-indigenous trees that grow in the Sunshine Coast region!  Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth.  Council is replacing these very old, large majestic trees with indigenous tube stock.  The ultra-purists in conservation circles refuse to see that in an urban area such as Buderim Mountain which is inhabited by a large population of people, that these mature leafy trees provide valuable amenity to the urban area as well as beauty.  I suppose this painting says something about this matter

Art techniques used to achieve this:

You, the viewer, ask yourself…“Why does this image visually work?”

It works because of the horizontal bands across the top (hills) and foreground.  The two horizontal bands are joined by a distinctive vertical (purple) connection forming something like an “H” on its side.  This gives the image stability when set within the square canvas.

What makes it an interesting composition is that the connecting vertical line is asymmetrical.  It also is slightly off centre and has contrasting colours (yellow/purple) on either side.

The composition takes the eye on a journey from left into the painting and then up to the apex of the range.

The painting is semi-abstract in that it relies on composition and colour rather than representational content.  Although the painting has perspective, the areas of colour are applied in a uniform way that creates the flat planes of colour that I favor.    (See previous post #31 for more details on this matter)

http://www.buderimartstudio.com/ 

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #31

“Its about Oil…its about Water” 

(Mixed media and bitumen on ply board)  

Size:  90x90cm

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:

Many of my paintings are conceptual which means that they are about ideas and not just decorative works.  I did this painting in response to the degradation of our environment by multinational companies and some governments that indiscriminately and blatantly plunder our Earth’s resources.

Artistic techniques used in the painting:

The painting is almost monochromatic in that the blues blend from one to the other. 

The square support is ply board which has been primed with gap-filler to achieve the textured surface.  The collage in the centre re-states and  emphasizes the square shape of the painting.  I dribbled bitumen onto plastic and when dry then removed the plastic.  The dry bitumen shape was then adhered to the collage to represent oil. 

The dribble in the upper border is the only part where Orange (the complimentary opposite to Blue) is used to subtly draw attention to it. 

In this painting, less says more.  What do you think?  Does it achieve its aim?

The beauty of our environment is being allowed to slip away.  Beauty is nourishment for the soul.  This degradation of our environment has been demonstrated this week at a local level.  The beautiful natural forest in the centre of Buderim Village that I wrote about in posts #21/22/23 was destroyed this week - cut down by the Sunshine Coast Regional Council. 

 

In its place will be a steel and timber viewing platform overlooking the back of a shopping centre.  My paintings are often about the environment... it is my way of saying that we have to be aware of what we are losing before it’s too late.  

http://www.buderimartstudio.com 

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #30

“Bottles”  (Acrylic on Masonite board)  Size:  61x46cm

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:

This painting won Third Prize at the Royal National Agricultural Show (RNA Show), Brisbane, Australia.  It is essentially an exercise in colour and space.  The subject is a still life of two bottles and the purpose of the exercise is the point of focus in space where the two diverge into separate objects. 

There is no personal or emotional context and therefore no narrative to this painting.  This leaves the viewer no option but to focus on the abstraction of the exercise – it is intended to represent purely a two dimensional plane with no attempt at perspective.  The painting is framed in smoke coloured perspex which adds to its contemporary appeal.

Artistic techniques used in the painting:

I have used one primary colour (Red) and its split compliment (two Greens), plus black.  The white is the undercoat of the support (Masonite board).

I have deliberately abstracted the subject and reduced it to its visual bare minimum.  The lack of visual information is designed to draw the viewer’s eye to the point where the two bottles meet in space.  This is where the “drama” is.

The lighter coloured Green gives a sense of being in the foreground.  This is the only suggestion that there is depth in the composition.

The acrylic paint dries flat and can look very uninteresting when dry (this is particularly true of the early acrylics, which this painting is an example).  Therefore to create visual interest, I have textured the surface.

High tonal value is when there is a lot of contrast between darks and lights.  This painting exploits this so that the eye is drawn to the point of focus where the two bottles meet.

The composition is divided into three flat planes.  This division is deliberately off centre – which holds the viewer’s visual interest.  Although asymmetrical, the painting feels balanced.  This is caused by the darker space being bigger than the other two – its as if the bigger volume equals to the other two areas combined.

So you the viewer may ask, why do I do such a simplistic paintings?  My answer is that this is the way that I portray life – by reducing the material to its essence I discard that which is not necessary.  Every day is a process and the best that one can do is to be there in the moment.  Art (for me) is like praying – it expresses the conflicts within, and by the act of painting, these conflicts become dissolved.  Abstract art offers no boundaries for my imagination, and beautiful “accidents” can occur.  It also helps me to figure out new ways to solve problems, both in the painting I am working on, and in life.  This leads to serenity and peacefulness.

A wise person said “The garbage is always rich enough to grow some beautiful flowers”.  (unknown author).

http://www.buderimartstudio.com 

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #29

“Golden Glow”  (Acrylic)  Size:  90x120cm

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:

”Golden Glow” is a spiritual painting.  It was painted during a time when I was seeking inner Truth.  Essentially it represents a meditative state where thoughts come into awareness and are observed in a detached manner.  The point of focus is Emptiness. 

Artistic techniques used in the painting:

Over-painting is used in many of my acrylic paintings and this is no exception.   Also the flat planes of colour are another feature of my artwork.

The colour yellow for me represents joy.  This colour ranges from a warm yellow which floods most of the surface and is off set by the cool yellow at the bottom centre, offering the viewer a glimpse of another possible dimension.  

The picture is balanced by the two borders on either side of the canvas.  High contrast in these means that the painting has high tonal value.  This together with the colours used in these borders adds a feeling of drama and rhythm to what could be a bland expanse.

The painting is one of a series of paintings which I called the “Satsang Series”.  It is meant to evoke a meditative state in the viewer.   What do you think?   Was I successful in your eyes?

http://www.buderimartstudio.com 

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #28

“Motherwell Revisited - Little Aussie Cell”  

(Mixed Media with found objects on Belgian Linen) 

Size:  80x65cm

 

ABOUT THIS PAINTING:

I drew my inspiration for “Motherwell Revisited – Little Aussie Cell” (“LAC”) from the American Abstract Expressionist, Robert Motherwell's painting "Little Spanish Prison" (“LSP”).  I painted this painting around the time of 9/11 so it has political connotations similar to Motherwell’s which was painted in 1941.  I created my painting by taking specific elements from Motherwell’s painting and using them in mine.  So in this post I will compare and contrast the two artworks.

Motherwell also did this.  He is said to have painted “LSP” as a kind of homage to Mondrian and that “LSP” is more remarkable for the ways in which it differs from Mondrian than in the ways in which it resembles him.  Therefore my painting “Little Aussie Cell” (“LAC”) is similarly a homage to Motherwell.

The title of my painting is a play on words meant to point out the duplicity of Australian and American government around that time.  The words “Cell” and “Prison” have similar meaning and are used in the title of both paintings.  The word “Cell can also means, prison cell, terrorist cell, and living cell. Therefore the title of my painting is a bit of a joke or “tongue in cheek”.

Also the images in my painting are taken from my local environment.  This accounts for the word “Aussie” being used in my title. The yellow amorphous shapes (like living cells) are from a photo of the pitted rock formations taken at Point Cartwright headland, and the red symbol is an actual found object from Mooloolaba Beach (on the east coast of Australia) near where I live.  

Artistic techniques used in the painting:

Motherwell is an Abstract Expressionist. He said he painted for two reasons: (1) to generate new imagery or work out pictorial problems, and (2) for what he calls the sheer pleasure of it.  Like Motherwell, I experiment with space and colour, juxtaposing flat planes of spatial expression punctuated with focused interludes of rich colour.  My colours are orchestrated in an informal but playful way, thus generating a sense of ordered limitlessness.

In Motherwell’s “LSP” the pale, bar-like vertical field of yellow and white and the horizontal red form, seem at odds with each other. This serves to give drama to the image.  In my “LAC” I have kept the same colours but deliberately changed the bar-like vertical forms.  In so doing I began to appreciate that the white lines in Motherwell’s “LSP” are anything but casual – although they do look that way.  The shades of grey are carefully placed to achieve the drama that his painting exudes.  I have utilized the white/grey in my painting to achieve a similar affect but instead of having a vertical emphasis I have created a circular movement in the white/grey plane.

Collage plays an important role in Motherwell’s art.  He takes elements from the real world and places them in the artificial environment of his paintings. This is, in a sense, similar to what we know as modern life.  I have also used collage but wherein “LSP” the red form is horizontal, I have placed my red collage in a vertical position reminiscent of Motherwell’s overall vertical emphasis in “LSP”.   The red upside-down circle in my painting symbolizes the "land down under" which is an affectionate reference to where the continent of Australia is located on the Earth.  It also refers to the instability of those times when things seemed turned about.  I painted this around the time of 9/11 when terrorism and The Patriot’s Act was in the forefront of the news media.

Initially I removed the orange border on my painting so that it was more consistent with Motherwell’s painting, but later decided that the painting looked better with it, and so repainted it.  Also the orange border gives the feeling of viewing from outside, or re-viewing a similar theme that was presented by Motherwell.

Doing an exercise such as this, provides a learning experience for all artists and gives one an appreciation of just what goes into a truly great painting.  I urge you to also try such an exercise.  You will learn a lot. 

Reference:  “Motherwell and Post Modernism”.

http://www.buderimartstudio.com 

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #27

“Relationship” - Sculpture  (Clay)  Size:  60cm high

ABOUT THIS ARTWORK

I would love this sculpture to be reproduced bigger - say... the size of a car!  I think that it would be fantastic to be able to sit inside it.  With the new technology, who knows, it may one day become a reality.  It would look good made of white fiberglass and set in a sculpture park where children can play on it. 

 

I developed this clay sculpture from a small maquette I made.  Again I created this piece under the supervision of sculptor Janna Paneijer (see post #25).  It represents the male and female union on both a spiritual as well as a physical level.

Artistic techniques used in the sculpture:

The clay form is hollow inside and is supported by “walls” a little like a house structure.  This allows for it to be the size that it is – 60cm.  The sculpture took 5 bags of clay.

I would say that my artworks, both sculpture and painting reflects my unique brand signature.  The abstract form speaks of simplicity and a paring down of unnecessary elements so that the essence of the subject is revealed.

One’s artwork should reflect a personality and if you are honest with yourself, art can bring you in contact with personal insights.  As an art therapist by profession, I stress that it’s always better to ask the artist what the artwork means than to presume that you, the viewer, knows.  Everyone projects their own experiences onto the outside world.  

Do you see the brand signature in my work?

Next week I will take a famous painting called “Little Spanish Prison” by American Abstract Expressionist, Robert Motherwell.  I will discuss and compare his use of artistic techniques in that painting, and how I have used similar techniques in a painting of my own.  Techniques that make both paintings appear as if they have been dashed off, but are in fact rendered with considerable thought.

http://www.buderimartstudio.com 

UNDERSTANDING ABSTRACT ART #26

“Relationship”  Diptych  (Acrylic)  Size:  107x154cm

ABOUT THIS PAINTING

The shape of the sculpture in last week’s post is repeated here in a painting (done at a different time and place).  You can see a similarity even though the media used are very different.  John Walters the U.S. film producer is a great lover and collector of contemporary art.  He is quoted as saying “contemporary art is a secret club you have to join to learn how to see”.  One certainly does need to “see” not literally but in a different way to appreciate abstract art. 

Artistic techniques used in the painting:

The title of the painting “Relationship” gives a clue to what it is about – that it is painted as a diptych also says something about its meaning.  If the painting was untitled, do you think that you would know what its meaning is?  The enveloping forms may give you a clue.

The point of focus is in the centre of the painting where most of the action is.  This is off set by the flatness of form on either side.  The contrast between action and stillness provides interest and variation, thus causing the viewer’s eye to travel over the entire image.

When I am painting with acrylics and mixed media I never am fearful of making a mistake – these media allow for mistakes to become opportunities and a challenge to create more depth to the image.  It is like a journey of discovery as to how far one can push the painting and still maintain a sense of balance and beauty.  The art making process is for me, as important as the finished product.  I have to be completely satisfied with the finished painting though before it is exhibited.  

The central, more figurative part of the painting is more textured than the surrounding planes.  Again this contrast provides variety and movement which creates visual interest.

What is your initial response to this painting?  Can you “relate” to it?

Has your initial response changed after reading my explanation?  Remember, your response is also about you, the viewer.  Just as in a relationship, viewing a painting is an interaction – a two way form of visual communication.  Your response may reveal something about you too.  So be introspective as well as receptive when observing.

 

There is a wonderful abstract art exhibition at Rosebed Gallery, Eudlo on the Sunshine Coast which is close to where I live.  Three of the people who follow my blog, Christine Elcoate, Ken Munsie and Wyn Vogel, are exhibiting and the standard is very high.  Visit or go to Rosebed Gallery’s website to see their works. 

 

Also some exciting news…one of my paintings, titled “UP” is being reproduced in the National Rural Health Alliance 2013 Calender.  This artwork can be seen in my #4 post on this blog.

http://www.buderimartstudio.com