Abstract Art

Bringing Paintings to a Gallery Is Always Iffy in Upstate NY

This past Saturday, the day I was to bring 28 of my abstract paintings on canvas to a gallery an hour away, there was a 60 percent chance of snow predicted.  My daughter said she pictured us carrying paintings down the block in the snow to the gallery, but we got lucky.  It was a clear day with mild (for upstate NY) temperatures.

We used two vehicles: my Honda Element and my daughter's van.  First we took the back seats out of the Element, which then left room for the largest-sized paintings, 60" x 48" and 48" x 48".  After we filled the Element, we loaded the rest into the van after putting the seats down flat.  With cardboard in between paintings, everything looked secure and we headed off to the Orazio Salati Gallery in Binghamton. 

I remember the good old days when Adrian and I would tie large paintings onto the rack on top of the car and head off down the highway!  I think most artists who work in large sizes have some tales to tell about their adventures getting paintings to exhibits.

We'd also rented U-haul cargo vans in the past to carry my 5 ft. by 5 ft. paintings, but I don't feel comfortable driving one of those.  I can remember moving our household six hundred miles in a U-haul truck years ago and wondering whether we'd make it with the bald tires and loose steering. 

We were fortunate on Saturday to have a beautiful day, be able to park right in front of the Gallery, and unload easily.  It was especially easy for me since I stayed with the vehicles and handed the paintings one at a time to the gallery director, my daughter, and two grandkids to carry up the flight of stairs to the gallery.

Here are two of the paintings that will be in the exhibit starting this Friday, February third. 

    Day and Night Two, 30" x 30" acrylic on canvas.

  Abstract Art Twenty, 40" x 30" acrylic on canvas.

A Satisfying Painting Session in My Studio

As I continued to work on this new abstract painting, I added some deeper blues and a cadmium red light, but kept the spontaneous, loose feel I'd started with.  I used white to blend the colors, and sometimes just a dry brush to blend one color into the next. 

At one point I added some cadmium yellow light--just a few strokes with a brush.  I blended these a bit too, but not so much as to lose the basic color and shape.

My final step was to draw lines in white while the canvas was still wet.  These added highlights and texture.   I also drew with mars black, which helped define the composition.

I like the look and feel of this now, but haven't decided yet whether it is finished.

  Canvas #131, 44" x 44" acrylic on canvas.

Staying Loose in New Abstract Painting

I continued to work on this new abstract painting in a very loose, spontaneous manner. And I have to confess, I've been choosing colors based on using up tubes of paint.  After working on a number of projects that required specific colors, I ended up with a lot of tubes that were almost empty.  This drives me crazy because it clutters my work area. 

Of course, I would never decide to use a particular color for these reasons when I'm at the end of the painting process, but at the beginning, does it really matter?  It does in the sense that these colors will influence the outcome, but it doesn't in the sense that no particular color is required to complete the painting.

Thus I used up some reds, blues, turquoise, etc. in this step of the process.  I added parchment to my brush in order to blend them better.  And I finished up with some mars black.

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

    Canvas #131, 44" x 44" acrylic on canvas.

Absolute Freedom in New Abstract Painting

After finishing a commissioned painting and other projects I needed to do, I decided to give myself absolute freedom in this new abstract painting.  I began the background with no preconceived plan except to be loose and free. 

I began with mars black acrylic, using a brush to apply it.  Working quickly, I added some turquoise and light blue violet.  Then, while the paint was still wet, I used titanium white to fill in and blend with the other colors. 

It is very rough, of course, but will provide a good background for painting tomorrow after it is dry.

  Canvas #131, 44" x 44" acrylic on canvas.

Non-objective Art: Selecting Paintings for Exhibit

Gallery Director Orazio Salati came to my studio recently to select paintings for my upcoming solo exhibit, Non-objective Abstract Paintings, to be held in Binghamton, NY.  He has a wondeful upstairs space with large windows so that the art may be seen from the street. 

I was pleased that Orazio selected not only his favorite works of mine, but paintings he thought his clients would be interested in.  He was careful to get a variety of colors as well.  He seemed to have an overall plan of the gallery in his head, choosing by size to fit the various spaces available.

Orazio selected 28 paintings so that he'd have a few extra to play with.  You never really know how things will work out until you start hanging.

The exhibit will be up from February 3 to March 25, with receptions on First Friday nights February 3 and March 2 from 6 to 9 pm.

Here are a few of his slections:

  Triangle Pose, 36" x 36" acrylic on canvas.

  Mad Cap Light, 24" x 24" acrylic on canvas.

  Pending Action, 40" x 40" acryic on canvas.

 

Final Step in New Painting Commission

My final step in this painting was to draw rather whimsical lines in burnt umber, lines which both hold elements together as well as suggesting a further meandering of the central image. I was careful to keep these lines to a minimum in order not to overwhelm the other compositional elements.

When working on a commission, there is always a tension between achieving what the client expects and creating a one-of-a-kind painting with its own life force.  The challenge for me is to keep the looseness and energy while working toward a defined goal. I am happy to report a sense of satisfaction with this one.

  Painting Commission, 60" x 46" acrylic on canvas.

Fine Tuning New Painting Commission

After getting all the colors and basic composition down on my new painting commission, I spent this work session on the fine tuning.  I felt the central shape of the dark browns was too monolithic, so I added a lot more unbleached titanium and other lighter colors to diffuse the image.

I also wanted more weight on the bottom of the painting, so I added more of the browns and darker colors throughout that space.  Then I felt it needed more orange, and mixed some parchment into the cadmium orange to make it a bit softer.

After fiddling here and fiddling there, I think it's almost ready.

  Painting Commission, 60" x 46" acrylic on canvas.

Third Painting Session on New Commission

Today I wanted to bring this new painting as close as possible to a complete vision in terms of the colors and the composition.  I could always add more texture, details, and fine tuning later.

In order to get a pronounced texture, I mixed the acrylic paint with a Liquitex gloss super heavy gel medium.  It did not effect the color density, but bulked up the paint so it could be applied thickly with a brush. 

Now I have the whole color scheme on the canvas:  burnt umber, burnt sienna, raw sienna, cadmium red light, cadmium orange, unbleached titanium, sage green, indian yellow, and white. 

  Painting Commission, 60" x 46" acrylic on canvas.

Second Painting Session for New Commission

In this painting session I wanted to fill in the basic color scheme:  burnt umber, burnt sienna, raw sienna, and cadmium orange with a background of unbleached titanium.  I painted in an impressionistic style, with small brushstrokes placed next to and on top of one another, working wet on wet.

I also filled in any canvas that was showing around brushstrokes so that the whole surface would be filled with color by the time I am finished.  This painting is going to have a lot of texture and detail, so this is still an early stage in the process. 

  Painting Commission, 60" x 46" acrylic on canvas.

Beginning New Abstract Painting Commission

After working on many small paintings on paper and canvas panels, I started a new commission for a 60" x 46" abstract painting on canvas. After working small, it's a bit of a shock to discover how long it takes to cover a large surface again. 

In this first step, I wanted to establish the basic colors and composition, as well as to fill in the background color, shades of unbleached titanium.  I also wanted to begin right away working in an impressionist style with small overlapping brushstrokes. 

  Painting Commission, 60" x 46" acrylic on canvas.

Report on Opening at Kitchen Theatre Exhibit

The opening reception for my solo exhibit at the Kitchen Theatre last Friday night went really well.  We had theatre people as well as art people coming, so there was a steady flow of traffic the whole time.  That's really important to an artist because we are otherwise standing around looking silly at our openings.  I was happy to have a constant stream of people to talk to about my art. 

I always wear a name tag with my name and the word "ARTIST" on it so people know right away who I am.  That prevents them from saying something nasty in front of me about the art on the walls.  No, really, I wear it so people will feel comfortable coming up and talking to me. 

After the reception I went out to eat at one of our great Thai restaurants with my daughter and some friends.  At that point I was relaxed and had a great time. 

Thanks to all my friends and fellow artists for showing up Friday night!

The photos did not come out that well because the lighting on the paintings created a glare when photographed.  But here are a couple of snapshots that will give you a sense of things. 

  Art Opening at The Kitchen Theatre.

  Art Opening at The Kitchen Theatre.

Is This Painting Too Weird?

I'm not sure what to make of this new painting on canvas panel.  It's weird, but I like it anyway.  Not sure if others will.

First, I painted a background in a gray-green and let it dry.  Then I took tubes of white, unbleached titanium, and black acrylic and drew thick vertical lines in an alternating pattern.  Next, I drew thinner lines in cobalt green.  Finally, I brushed on some deep magenta at the bottom and in spots throughout the image.

  Canvas Panel #3, 16" x 20" acrylic on panel.

It has a simple, spontaneous feel to it that I like, but is it too simple? 

Inspired by Helen Frankenthaler's Abstract Art

One of the abstract painters I was aware of early in my art career was Helen Frankenthaler. Her paintings were  more subdued and lyrical than many of the abstract expressionists working at that time.  She had her own direction and left a legacy of "stain painting" -- a distinct version of  color field painting.  Intrigued by Pollock's method of dripping paint on a canvas, she found a new way to do it: she used very thin paint and poured it on unprimed canvas so that it soaked into the material rather than sitting on top of the primed finish (see ARTINFO story). 

Helen Frankenthaler died at 83 on December 27, 2011. 

I have worked at times on unprimed canvas, and when I make my own canvases, I apply a very thin gesso to the unprimed cotton duck.  Here's one of my recent paintings that most reminds me of Helen Frankenthaler's influence on my art:

    Laughing Lotus, 48" x 48" acrylic on canvas.

Vertical Lines Featured in New Abstract Painting on Panel

After painting a background in pale blue-gray, I made some thick vertical lines in brown, black, unbleached titanium and parchment in this new absract painting on canvas panel. I blended the colors with a brush, and then added turquoise blue around the top, bottom, and sides, sprinkling it into the main image as well. 

Next I drew sketchy lines in cobalt green, parchment, and prussian blue, blending them in places with a brush.  All of the painting except for the background was done quickly while the paint was wet, which resulted in a lot of blending. 

  Canvas Panel #2, 16" x 20" acrylic on panel.

Just Blue in New Abstract Painting

After working on a number of impressionist style paintings recently, I felt like painting something more solid, simple and block-like.  In this new abstract painting I used a palette knife to spread blocks of acrylic color:  cobalt blue, ultramarine blue, and prussian blue.  I also spread  parchment with a palette knife for the background.

This painting is on a canvas panel, which has quite a different feel to it compared to the watercolor paper I've been painting on.  While the paint was still wet, I added lines in prussian blue and used a brush for some rough blending. 

  Canvas Panel #1, 20" x 16" acrylic on panel.