From the Artist: I really don't know a thing about abstracts. I'm used to a precise order in my work, so this was an exercise in letting go, of discovery over plan. I did know that I wanted the painting to be fluid, sensual and vivid. Upon showing it to my husband, he inquired, "Am I allowed to ask what it is?" I'm laughing now. So, I guess I succeeded in doing an abstract. It's the tail end of a Beta or Japanese Fighting Fish, by the way.
From the Painting Guide: Oh, that's so delicately put, he deserves a medal! You have indeed succeeded with this project, to paint something that doesn't have a traditional subject, but in which color and pattern are themselves the subject.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Why Realists Should Do Abstractions: The reason I believe it's a valuable exercise for realists to do abstractions from nature is because it's an exercise in selection, in focusing in on a small part of a bigger picture.
When faced with a landscape, for example, a painter needs to decide what to put in and what to leave out, to decide what are the crucial or characteristic elements and not to get bogged down in all the extraneous detail. If you're doing a portrait, you need to make a selection too. For instance, do you paint detailed hair or a feeling of hair? Do you paint detailed clothes or just a suggestion? Often a hint or suggestion is more powerful than a detailed rendering.
From the Painting Guide: Oh, that's so delicately put, he deserves a medal! You have indeed succeeded with this project, to paint something that doesn't have a traditional subject, but in which color and pattern are themselves the subject.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Why Realists Should Do Abstractions: The reason I believe it's a valuable exercise for realists to do abstractions from nature is because it's an exercise in selection, in focusing in on a small part of a bigger picture.
When faced with a landscape, for example, a painter needs to decide what to put in and what to leave out, to decide what are the crucial or characteristic elements and not to get bogged down in all the extraneous detail. If you're doing a portrait, you need to make a selection too. For instance, do you paint detailed hair or a feeling of hair? Do you paint detailed clothes or just a suggestion? Often a hint or suggestion is more powerful than a detailed rendering.