Sunday, April 15, 2012

A lesson in abstraction

Abstract Attempt 2 ~ Acrylic ~ 40" x 30"

I took an abstract painting workshop yesterday. It was fun and freeing; very different from my usual tight, controlled style. I think it was an important excersize in creating and letting go of any pre-conceived notions, and just letting the paint do it's thing. We used no brushes, no palettes, just plopped our paint and medium directly onto the canvas and had at 'er with a roller. It is a really fun way to paint, without planning anything and giving ourselves permission to just create intuitively and have fun doing it. 

I still kept looking for my brush.

Now that I have all four paintings I made that afternoon at home staring at me, I am having a hard time not going back into them to making something more out of them. I don't think I can abandon my anal, representational tendancies, but I think I can grow the techniques I learned into something that is more me. In the search for a genuine artistic voice, getting outside of my little box can only help things along...

Abstract Attempt 1~ Acrylic ~ 24" x 30"





Sunday, February 5, 2012

The last big one from RDC

Oil and Acrylic on Canvas ~ 60" x 60"


I've recently returned from a 6 week trip to Asia, including Japan, Vietnam and Thailand. Now that I am home and paying attention to my blog again, I realized I forgot to post my last painting from my residency at Red Deer College. Here is it!
I am looking forward to getting back to the easel once I beat this pesky jet lag and get back in the groove. Cheers!


Final installation of my one hour portrait project