Reference photos can provide a great starting point for abstract art.
Image: © 2006 Marion Boddy-Evans. Licensed to About.com, Inc.
Some people paint abstracts entirely from their imaginations, but I find it essential to have something 'real' as the starting point. Something that gives me a direction to start working in, to kickstart my imagination.
This photo is one from my collection of abstract painting ideas (see larger photo). It's nothing fancy as far as photos go, merely two daisies, photographed from below against a blue sky. But it was the shapes that grabbed my attention.
So where would I start for a painting? With the negative space...
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