I wish I could be an abstract expressionist. Yesterday I read a blog, Vin de Vie Wine of Life, by Sarah Abraham. about an artist Oliver Lee Jackson who’s work is hanging in the National Gallery until Sept. 15. His paintings are so beautiful. At my art school, YAA, they discouraged us from that path. We had to plan our paintings. Abstract expressionism is painting from your subconscious, if I understand it correctly, and we were expressly forbidden to do that. I distinctly remember our esteemed teacher Fitzkee saying , “Don’t clean out the cobwebs from your brain on your canvas, no one wants to see that.” I understood Fitzkee’s point of view.
But last night I just wanted to have a little fun with my Inktense pencils after working on that academic exercise for hours. The old school exercises can’t hurt if I’m trying to see the colors I can make with the pencils and learn to use them, but is scribbling blindly bad for my art?
I don’t really want the viewer to see the cobwebs or worse things in my brain. I thought abstract expressionism was for the artist to communicate their emotions to the viewer, and I’m not feeling at all emotional these days. (Thankgawd for less of that) Does this little play painting speak to you at all? Should I title it, “I Find Myself Amusing” ?
I totally think that you should name the work ‘I Find Myself Amusing’. I secretly believe that about myself.
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It’s good to find yourself amusing. You don’t get bored! Glad you feel the same!
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Delightful! May your art always be fun. The discipline of learning skills and techniques is important but exercising your imagination and letting your inner child play is just as important. As Einstein once said ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge.’ A wise man. I say ‘There are treasures amidst the cobwebs.’ 😁✨💕
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Einstein said that! I wonder why they didn’t like it at YAA. They were all PA Dutch, I thought. My Dad liked when I used my imagination and he was PA Dutch too. Thanks so much!
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Call it Color Play, put it in your portfolio, and let future generations see your development as an artist.
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Thanks! Not sure I’ll keep it though
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It could be entitled “under a microscope.” Have fun with those pencils too.
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I like the painting. I think you can paint from any part of you because you have learned so many different kinds of techniques (media). I am sure I have said this……..
i also think that, since we are not young, young any more, we can express our ‘considered’ emotions and not be embarassed. I hope you try more! Sarah
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Thanks about the painting, and for your kind thoughts. I can use the other side of the paper and try again with it. Yeah, just yesterday I was thinking how I got old and wise! hahahah We have to tell the young ones what we know!
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That is beautiful, like a living thought,
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Thanks so much!
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Like loujen I thought it looked like something under a microscope. I think that COMPOSITION reins supreme in all abstracts. How can practicing that be bad for your art? NOT.
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Composition, I could use more practice in that. Thanks for your thoughts
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