abstract painting

Abstract in Development

This shows the progress of a recent abstract painting and how it developed along the way. When it was finally completed I named it "Alive". This painting is 1 metre square on a stretched canvas.

When I begin an abstract painting I may have a vague idea of what I would like to do. Then as the painting develops it often changes direction like this one did. Colour choices might also change and this can depend on what I feel the painting needs to lift it or add contrast and excitement.

I tend to choose bright colours rather than muted and I have pondered if that is a psychological need for zing in my life or just that I love bright contrasting colours? Food for thought!

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Starting a Large Abstract

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Starting a Large Abstract

Sometimes when faced with a blank canvas I used to catch myself procrastinating. I felt like making those first brush strokes might ruin the whole painting before it’s even progressed. That all changed after listening to Nicholas Wilton from Art2Life. He recommended going straight in and making the first marks with paint or pen to get over the fear immediately.

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When is an abstract painting finished?

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When is an abstract painting finished?

This is a common question and the answer as you might imagine is very subjective. It can only be finished when the artist feels all the elements are just how they want them. This is likely to vary from artist to artist depending on what they were hoping to achieve with their art.