Since I quit my job, I find that I sometimes don't know what time of day it is or even what day of the week it is. Not necessarily a bad thing. I have also found that I cycle between periods of intense analytical thinking and times when I immerse myself in my art, drawing on all of the data I have gathered. I say data, meaning more accurately everything I have read, seen, heard, tasted, etc., until I feel full and the impulse to create takes over. I can become pretty intense in both cycles, so much so that my artist friends have nicknamed me the "Art Shark." |
I have spent the last few days immersed in the contemplation of abstract art and the subtle ways in which the same elements of art that govern that style also impact the way I make more representational works. Ideally, I hope to more readily incorporate the two approaches. For example, I have been experimenting with some cubist pieces and would like to be able to more successfully treat each facet or cell as though it is an abstract element on its own. (Note the example below, my first attempt at cubism, a sketch and the completed painting, "The Three Muses." (24" x 24" oil on canvas)
I continued along these lines with "At the Ballet" (30" x 40" oil on canvas), treating each section both independently and as a component of the whole. I was not entirely pleased with the result and am considering adding more texture, more intense gradients, and including more unexpected colorations. In some ways, I like the way this pieces reads diagonally, but I am also torn between making the figure(s) pop out more from the background, or enhancing the flatness of the cubist approach. Anyway, back to the drawing board, or more accurately the easel, for this one. One thing I learned from this canvas, or reminded myself of, is not to be timid! I don't have to please anyone but myself, so why not experiment in a grand way instead of playing it safe? |