From the Artist: This was my loose representation of the colors and textures I was observing while painting in the backyard. It is flat, not intended to show depth, but intended to be a huge departure from my usually more detailed style, by focusing on the overall feeling rather than any detail. I sometimes squint while painting to purposely lose view of detail.
From the Painting Guide: Squinting is an excellent way to eliminate detail and if you're an artist who usually paints in detail, it's a good way to try a looser approach. Why? Because you're not trying to change what you've already painted on a canvas or to leave out parts of what you're seeing. Rather you're changing what you're seeing before you translate it into paint. (If you're a little short-sighted, another way is to take off your glasses!)
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Tackling a Different Style: One of the keys to abstraction is to paint how you feel about something rather than what you see, what you experience as the essence of something. If this is new to you, it may feel strange or even totally wrong. But it's important resist the urge to believe you'll just be creating a mess, and give it a try to see what happens. You can't know for sure what'll happen before you've actually tried.
I really like the loose, intensely colored way the foreground is painted; it's vibrant, and holds my interest. But I find the building in the background distracting. In line with the abstraction theme of the project, I'd reduce the detail on the building one step further i.e. paint out the windows and reduce the walls and roof to more basic shapes of color, perhaps with only the merest hint (through tone, not detail) to suggest windows.
From the Painting Guide: Squinting is an excellent way to eliminate detail and if you're an artist who usually paints in detail, it's a good way to try a looser approach. Why? Because you're not trying to change what you've already painted on a canvas or to leave out parts of what you're seeing. Rather you're changing what you're seeing before you translate it into paint. (If you're a little short-sighted, another way is to take off your glasses!)
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Tackling a Different Style: One of the keys to abstraction is to paint how you feel about something rather than what you see, what you experience as the essence of something. If this is new to you, it may feel strange or even totally wrong. But it's important resist the urge to believe you'll just be creating a mess, and give it a try to see what happens. You can't know for sure what'll happen before you've actually tried.
I really like the loose, intensely colored way the foreground is painted; it's vibrant, and holds my interest. But I find the building in the background distracting. In line with the abstraction theme of the project, I'd reduce the detail on the building one step further i.e. paint out the windows and reduce the walls and roof to more basic shapes of color, perhaps with only the merest hint (through tone, not detail) to suggest windows.