Abstract Art

After creating black and white patterns with tape, I wasn’t sure what to do next with this painting.  But something made me want to “write” with black on white and white on black, so that’s exactly what I did.

  Tall Black and White #1, 10″ x 48″ acrylic on canvas.

I fell in love with this painting just the way it was, but after a day or two I came to my senses and continued to work on it. First, I’d have to destroy what was already there.  I did this by applying a thin white paint loosely with a brush, letting it play out where it would in a drippy, carefree manner. 

Then I drew more lines with black into the white paint to attempt a bit more structure and control:

   Tall Black and White #1, 10″ x 48″ acrylic on canvas.

Now it is nicely messed up so I can keep working on it.

After finishing my second black and white diptych, I went back and worked on the first one I’d started much earlier. While I liked the basic lines of it and didn’t want to mess too much with the negative spaces, I felt it needed a bit more interest and spontaneity.

Using a brush saturated with thin mars black acrylic, I added more to the knobby shapes, pressing the brush against the canvas so that the paint would puddle and drip a bit. I also played around with the other shapes, and let the brush drip and feather, creating “controlled accidents.”

I think this diptych is now more interesting than in its previous incarnation.

  Black & White Diptych #1, each 10″ x 48″ acrylic on canvas.

After finishing my second black and white diptych, I went back and worked on the first one I’d started much earlier. While I liked the basic lines of it and didn’t want to mess too much with the negative spaces, I felt it needed a bit more interest and spontaneity.

Using a brush saturated with thin mars black acrylic, I added more to the knobby shapes, pressing the brush against the canvas so that the paint would puddle and drip a bit. I also played around with the other shapes, and let the brush drip and feather, creating “controlled accidents.”

I think this diptych is now more interesting than in its previous incarnation.

  Black & White Diptych #1, each 10″ x 48″ acrylic on canvas.

It took a couple more painting sessions for me to feel good about this n0n-objective diptych in black and white.  In the first session, I painted over a lot of what I’d added in the previous session.  I painted with a brush using titanium white, but left traces of the paint beneath.  I’ve also been trying to put a lot of texture on these canvases.  

In my last session, I used a thinner black paint and applied it quickly to give it a “splash-dash” feel, letting the paint spatter a bit along the edges. In the photo below you can see where I painted over in white as well as the final loose “splash” effect in black.

  Black and white non-0bjective diptych, each piece 10″ x 48″ acrylic on canvas.

I’m letting my first black and white non-objective diptych sit for a while.  Meanwhile, I started a second pair of canvases, first gessoing them twice, then applying titanium white and letting the canvases dry.

Next, I used mars black acrylic to brush on some thick, rough shapes, working loosely and feathering the edges with a semi-dry brush. 

    Black and White Diptych 2, left side, 10″ x 48″ acrylic on canvas.

I worked with both canvases on the easel at the same time, almost touching each other.  I used a similar but not exact composition on both sides. 

  Black and White Diptych 2, right side, 10″ x 48″ acrylic on canvas.

When I get closer to being finished, I’ll put the images together in photoshop.

I’ve been working on some new black and white paintings on tall format canvases (48″ x 10″) two at a time, placing them side by side on my easel.  This way, they will form a diptych when complete. 

I first gave these canvases a double coat of gesso, then painted them all white with titanium white acrylic.  After they were completely dry, I painted the black shapes using mars black acrylic with a brush. 

At this point, the diptych seems a bit too simple and not interesting enough. But what I like about them is the fact that the negative spaces (white sections) are as important as the sections in black.

    Black and White Diptych One, each piece 10″ x 48″ acrylic on canvas.

Friday night was the opening reception for my solo exhibit Abstract Non-objective Paintings at the Orazio Salati Gallery in downtown Binghamton, NY.  On First Fridays, everything is open on State Street and crowds wander from place to place t0 take it all in. 

I always have trouble standing for 3 hours, but the time went fast with people of all ages stopping to ask questions and telling me how much they loved my art.  Don’t we artists always enjoy that?!!!  In fact, I overheard a man asking a young woman if she was the artist and she said, “No, but I wish I was.” 

My daughter joined me at the event and took photos as well as video.  It will take me a while to put the video together, but are are a few pics from the event:

I was happy with my previous work on this abstract expressionist painting, but it did not feel finished.  It was perhaps too loose and needed a bit more structure and definition.  First I used parchment to add more light and tone down some of the brighter colors.  Then I brushed on prussian blue, sometimes with an almost dry brush, other times more heavily to outline shapes and emphasize composition. 

My last step was to draw lines with mars black, then to feather the lines with a dry brush as I worked.  This gave a softer effect than leaving the lines as they were. 

  Canvas #132, 44″ x 44″ acrylic on canvas.

Tonight is the reception for my solo exhibit at the Orazio Salati Gallery in Binghamton, NY.  There is no major snow storm predicted, thankfully!

When I paint in a loose, free style, I think of it as “abstract expressionist” painting, though of course that term is broad and originally used to refer to a particular group of NY painters from the 1940s and 1950s. While other movements such as pop art followed soon after, abstract expressionism has never gone away.  Young artists today are still drawn to it.

To begin the background on this painting, I used parchment, black, turquoise, cobalt blue, and magenta, blending the paint in a loose manner.  It’s a first step for me in having something to paint against besides the blank canvas.

  Canvas #132, 44″ x 44″ acrylic on canvas.