Help!

I am in a quandary. Since I started doing abstracts I have found that I have no sense of whether my paintings are good or not. I need HELP!

I finished this painting last night and, although I like the colours, I am not sure about the composition. Should I sign it or just paint over the thing? I would really appreciate your opinions.

12 x 16 acrylic

Maybe it is time to put the acrylics away and go back to something I am more comfortable doing - landscapes in watercolour!

I hope you will let me know what you think about this one.

Thanks for visiting!

30 Paintings - Day 29

Today and tomorrow and THAT IS IT!!!

I have enjoyed trying abstracts for the last 28 days but admit to being about finished with the whole everyday thing. Today's painting was actually done a few days ago and is another one that gave me trouble with a title.

#1094 - Every Which Way - 5.5 x 8 acrylic on watercolour paper

When I looked at the painting all I noticed was that the paint seem to go in every direction, so 'Every Which Way' became the title. I started this with some blobs of different colours then used a piece of mat board as a scrapper to pull the paint down the page. I finished off with some palette knife work and called it 'done'!

Check out some more of the art for this challenge on Leslie's Blog

It is great to hear from you so please leave a comment.

 

30 Paintings - Day 27!

Today's painting started with a major wash and scrub of the paper. So, I had drenched and damaged paper and I decided to see what would happen when I added some paint!

#1092 - Exuberance! - 5.5 x 8 acrylic on watercolour paper

I had no thoughts in mind; I just went at it with the palette knife and paint, slashing here and there with abandon. Is it art? Is it worth keeping? Who knows? It will go in a stand with a number of other unmatted and unframed paintings and maybe someday, someone will love it!

We only have 3 more days in the challenge so I hope you will have a look at what other artists have been doing - Leslie's Blog

Thanks for stopping by - I would love to hear from you!

30 Paintings - Day 20!

I am calling today's painting a representational abstract! It wasn't supposed to be the way it turned out but I quite like it.

#1085 - Red Sky at Night - 7 x 10 acrylic on watercolour paper

BTW - I have decided that I am too old to become famous as an abstract artist - 4 seems to be the preferred age!

Last night on the news there was a segment about a 4 year old boy from New Brunswick who is currently having his own show in a gallery there and who will also be showing his paintings in a gallery in New York some time this year. The boy's name is Advait Kolarkar and here is one of his paintings.

Apparently his work is selling very well - in the thousands of dollars.  And the world goes round!

Check out Leslie's Blog sometime today to see what other artists are doing.

Thanks for visiting.

30 Paintings - Day 18!

Today's painting has a number of layers of paint and has gone through a number of transformations but I think I am finally happy with the finished product.

#1080 - Blocks and Curves - 16 x 20 acrylic on gallery wrap canvas

I have actually said finished to this canvas 4 times and signed the painting each time, but I was never very happy with any of the paintings. To fix things, some times I covered the whole thing with gesso, others I just painted over the parts I didn't like until I am surprised that the canvas doesn't sag in the middle - lol. I am still not too sure about the final result but I have decided that I am done!

Here is the link to Leslie's blog so you can see what the other artists are doing.

I hope you will let me know what you think of my latest - thanks for stopping in!

30 Paintings - Day 17

I have another experiment for today's painting! I wanted to see how some of the techniques I have been using would work on a heavily textured canvas. This the experiment was NOT a success. Instead of the look I wanted, I ended up with a mess that I quickly washed off. I played a bit more, adding more paint and even more paint until I was mostly satisfied. Here is the finished product!

#1083 - Pastel Textures - 8 x 10 acrylic on canvas

It reminds me of an aerial view of the mountains that someone accented with purple - h'mm I wonder if this shows the trail where my son went backpacking. I don't know if I like this or not - what do you think?

It looks like I will be shoveling snow this afternoon so I will get this added to Leslie's blog  (I hope you will check it out) and get ready to go outside.

I always enjoy your insights so please leave a comment.

30 Paintings - Day 15!

It is a good thing that I have been painting a few extra pieces because the one I had planned for today just isn't ready yet - it has to sit a few days so I can figure out how to 'fix' it.

#1081 - Scattered Angles - 5 x7 acrylic on 1"canvas board

This is similar to a piece I did a few days ago - Day 9  - although this is not quite as green. I like this colour combination though and may use it again.

Everyday after posting my link on Leslie's Blog, I look through the other posts and always find a few to click on so I can see the art larger. It is a great way to discover new styles and artists so I hope you will give it a try.

I was nice of you to stop by and I hope you will let me know what you think about today's painting.

30 Paintings - Day 14!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I haven't done anything remotely valentine-ish as I was too busy experimenting again. 

#1079 - Night Rain - 9 x 12 acrylic on watercolour paper

After my attempt yesterday Day 13 to do the same technique as the painting from Day 7, I thought I would try the it on paper. It was NOT a success! So, I had to fiddle around trying to 'fix' the mess I had made; a bit more paint, some spritzed water and a bit of palette knife work and I got something I think is very interesting. What do you think?

We are almost to the half way point of the challenge and I am wondering  what I am going to do with all the paintings I finish - I have no more room to hang things!!! One of the downfalls of living in a rural community that has - a large population of seniors (they have everything and don't buy much art), only a small public display space at the library, and is not a great tourist spot - is, that the art takes a long time to sell.

Pop over to Leslie's Blog  to see what everyone else in the challenge is doing.

I enjoy and appreciate your comments so please say something! 

30 Paintings - Day 11

Better late than never I guess. We spent the day hunting and gathering (shopping) so it is a good thing I painted this yesterday.

#1076 - Under the Sea - 12 x 16 acrylic on canvas

I had a lot of trouble with the "less is more" concept for this painting. I was having so much fun with the palette knife that I wasn't paying enough attention to the 'whole'. This was actually painted in landscape format (below) but I liked it better when I turned it around. That is one of the benefits of doing abstracts - who knows which way is up? - it is all in the eye of the beholder!

View #2

I hope you take time to pop over to Leslie's Blog and to leave a comment here - I would love to hear from you!

30 Paintings - Day 9!

It is so interesting how things can work out. Yesterday, because I was fixing some palettes for my students, I was testing some colours to see how they mixed together. Of course, I ended up with left over paint and just had to use it up - that is how today's painting came about.

#1074 - Mostly Organic - 5 x 7 acrylic on watercolour paper mounted to 8 x 10

I used an old piece of Arches watercolour paper that had already been painted, slapped on the left-over paint from my mixing job and then added some points of interest. I liked the whole thing so much I didn't want to lose anything by matting over it so I mounted it on the mat board instead.

Pop over to Leslie's Blog to see what the other artist are up to.

Thanks for stopping by - comments are appreciated!

30 Paintings - Day 8!

This painting went through a number of transitions before I was finally happy with it. And, it ended looking nothing like I planned in the start!

#1073 - Forest - 8 x 10 acrylic on canvas

Once again, I am wondering "is this abstract?" It actually seems to depict something instead of leaving any interpretation up to the viewer, although it is a pretty rough depiction. No matter, I like it and my students today liked it too.

I hope you will take time to checkout the work of the other artists doing the challenge - Leslie's Blog


See you again tomorrow!