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"