Why Paint Abstract Art
My first love has been figure drawing. Many, many years ago when I started on an official creative path, I took classes from local artists, David Slater and Michael Rosch, and sought out advise from friend and wonderful figurative artist, Linda Capello. I then went back to college to seek a degree in graphic design which lasted about 2 years. (This was part-time, while I was raising 2 young children and working) I knew I wasn’t on the right path and decided to continue my education in Art Education, which felt so right. And the rest is history. I finished my undergrad in Art Education and completed my Masters in Education with Creative Learning. 20 plus years of teaching and I wouldn’t change a thing!
Through my own education and teaching young artists, I learned and taught A LOT of different art styles, techniques, and used many different mediums. Every time I learned a new art technique I fell in love with it, including sculpture, printmaking, paper-making, photography, ceramics and graphic design, to name a few.
Always busy with my career teaching art to others, I rarely made time for my own art. Things have changed. I retired from teaching to spend my time creating art for me. It was time for that shift. I still love figure drawing and drawing from observation. It gives me great satisfaction. But, I truly get excited when I paint. Being able to paint freely and explore the paints and the surface is so satisfying and exciting, especially when I experiment and discover something new and interesting.
Painting layers of colors, marks, shapes and textures gives the painting depth and interest. I often pull from my memories and experiences with the natural world that focus on colors, beautiful forms and textures. I find it so interesting to create using elements of nature instead of painting something realistic. With abstraction, you’re always going to see something new.
Abstract art can be intuitive and have the subject be about the painting itself. But there are aspects of the painting that have to be there for it to work. The principals of design and the elements of art, you know those formal attributes that provide a guide to what art should be, have merit, I think. It’s important to me for my abstract paintings to have a visual balance through the use of color, form and line. The artwork should be able to bring the viewer on a journey. A visual journey, where the eye is guided to wander throughout the painting and discover things that evoke a feeling. That feeling can be excitement, calmness, wonder, even curiosity.
I’m always excited and happy to step into the studio and paint. Even if I feel that I failed on a painting and it’s just not working for me, I know that I can come back to it and change things. It is such a liberating feeling to know, it’s ok, I can try it again and come back to it with a new or different idea.
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