April 7, 2014

Making Abstract Art = Tuning Within




What happens when vision is absent while starting an abstract painting?

Some paintings are directly informed by the essence of a place and/or experience, some paintings are born out of the unconscious - coming from deep inside your being that is beyond visual and literal description.  All abstract paintings evolve through the integration of sensory experiences and unconscious thought. 

How do you start a painting without any literal reference?

Let the unconscious be your guide!

Random color choices and mark-making tap into a voice that has yet to be "heard" in the mind.  

The painting above is an example of such random mark-making and color mixing.  Starting out as a "demo" piece for acrylic paints, there was absolutely no connection to any place, thing or feeling.  Months later with the demo being a distant memory, it was finally time to give meaning to the painting and finish it.  

With no feeling for what it "had" been and no intention for what it "should be" I spent time looking, feeling, and pondering the color, lines and shapes on the canvas. (Actually it's a wood panel!) What relationships made sense to me?What connections between colors and shapes and lines were intriguing to me?  How did these color and shape connections make me feel?  Answering these questions guided me in the process of bringing the painting to resolution.

Interested in learning how to harness the unconscious so that your spirit fuels your art?  

Schedule a Complimentary conversation with Marianne to learn how to make your signature artistic voice really shine.


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