I had a lot of fun this week experimenting with abstracts. I think watercolors lend themselves to abstract art. One can achieve a variety of techniques to make an interesting piece. Unlike oils and acrylics, with watercolors one can splash with water or alcohol to get interesting results and then there are the lost and found edges that cannot be achieved with other mediums. The piece above was my second attempt after doing a smaller piece (below). The one above is 14" x 10.5" and I used burnt sienna, raw sienna and Payne's grey. For texture I sprayed some alcohol on the lower half when semi wet. When it was dry I dipped my fingers in the water bucket and splashed it onto the watercolor, thereby creating different size circles which I dabbed with a tissue. It's a great exercise in loosening up. I took these pieces to class this week and they were well received by both the tutor, Jerry Stitt and the rest of the class. I sensed there would be quite a few people bringing abstracts to class next week.
This smaller piece is 9.5" x 7.75" and I used the same colors as above.
I had a lot of fun this week experimenting with abstracts. I think watercolors lend themselves to abstract art. One can achieve a variety of techniques to make an interesting piece. Unlike oils and acrylics, with watercolors one can splash with water or alcohol to get interesting results and then there are the lost and found edges that cannot be achieved with other mediums. The piece above was my second attempt after doing a smaller piece (below). The one above is 14" x 10.5" and I used burnt sienna, raw sienna and Payne's grey. For texture I sprayed some alcohol on the lower half when semi wet. When it was dry I dipped my fingers in the water bucket and splashed it onto the watercolor, thereby creating different size circles which I dabbed with a tissue. It's a great exercise in loosening up. I took these pieces to class this week and they were well received by both the tutor, Jerry Stitt and the rest of the class. I sensed there would be quite a few people bringing abstracts to class next week.
This smaller piece is 9.5" x 7.75" and I used the same colors as above.
These are truly gorgeous paintings! Wow. I'm dazzled. I hope you are too.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to more!
Thanks so much Melinda. I am pleased with my first venture into the abstract.
ReplyDeleteYour right Jean .. watercolor is a great medium for abstract.. you can do so many techniques within the same piece..
ReplyDeleteCongratulatios on your venture. They're not just well done but also very beautiful. I myself was amazed by the one above mainly for its colors and composition.
ReplyDeleteI love it Jean! I have never been able to paint from my imagination - I think I need the security of life!
ReplyDeleteJean, I LOVE this! I have a dear friend who is a big abstract watercolor artist...she would love this too...I know recently she has experimented with stamping in her pieces and has even added glitter...they are so beautiful and win awards...Yours reminds me of hers...only COMPLETELY different! lol MORE PLEASE!
ReplyDeleteBarbra: Glad you agree. I may try a few more of these to see what effects I can get.
ReplyDeleteRogerio: Thanks so much for your great comments. It inspires me to try more.
Carol: I didn't think I could paint from imagination either but the key is to not think about what you are going to paint. Just put the colors down and then manipulate them in different ways. It results in a bunch of failures too but is a great loosening up exercise. The only thing I plan is how much of each color to use to keep a dominant hue for color harmony.
Saundra: I would love to see your friend's work. Does she have a blog or web site?
Jean, I had not thought of water colors for an abstract,here I can sense the freedom and deviation you have taken from your usual path and the result is amazing!
ReplyDeleteJean, very nice! I especially like the top painting. I think abstracts are very difficult to pull off successfully, and you've done it!
ReplyDeletePadmaja: Thanks for your comments. I did enjoy the exercise.
ReplyDeleteMary: I agree that abstracts are difficult and this was more luck with experimenting than planning.
love both of these jean ...the top one is stunning .
ReplyDeleteThank you Jane. I just love your "tree seeds" watercolor. Would love to know your technique.
ReplyDeleteYummy! I want to try this!!! The colors are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI like your abstract experiments. It's fun to do once in a while.
ReplyDeleteWonderful abstracts Jean. I especially like the colors in the top one. I agree that watercolor is a perfect medium for abstracts. In fact, I think it's the perfect medium for everything. : )
ReplyDelete