Moving toward Abstraction

Since this blog is a place to post and discuss my developing art habit, I thought I would share with you my experiences in moving from purely representational painting into a more "abstract" style. While my paintings have been described as "painterly", my subject matters have been based on realism. These paintings are also based on "realism, but with a movement toward simplification. This first painting, "November Gold" was developed from a sketch. There is a twisted fencerow behind my house which is a constant source of inspiration for painting. I am continually drawn to the twisted, gnarled trees. I took my sketch to my studio on one particularly chilly evening and this tiny (12x12) painting evolved. I was more interested in capturing the feeling of the golden sunlight passing through the golden leaves. I simplified and flattened a lot of spaces.

This second painting "Dandelion Invasion" was painted on a beautiful spring afternoon. The pear and cherry trees were blossoming. The birds were singing. The bees were humming. I felt energized. I planned to paint a "plein air" landscape but could not do it. I was drawn to the silly dandelions that dotted my lawn. I flattened the space and painted from an aerial perspective. I focused on color and texture.

Dandelions, are such happy little invasive flowers! They are loved by all children and despised by gardeners and lawn nazis. They remind me of happy times. I gave a different dandelion painting to my father for Christmas. He was the proclaimed lawnmeister of Sara Ann Court.

As I venture further into the land of abstraction, I am focusing on design, texture and space. I am painting non-objectively, but perhaps adding recognizable objects. ( I have started a class) I will post some of these when I produce a start that is postworthy! I would appreciate your comments, positive or negative.