Painting: Stuart Little Abstract

After finishing the painting we were asked to paint our painting as an abstract piece for homework. I have never painted an abstract painting and I don’t particular understand them; I wouldn’t hang one up in the toilet. However I thought I better have a go so I grabbed a fresh canvas and went for it, it didn’t turn out well and I gessoed the canvas and an afternoon wasted. Eventually I went and did a bit of research to find out the different types of abstract paintings, I researched artist such as Hofmann, Rothko, Mondrian, Kandinsky, Pollock and other famous abstract artists. I also watched a couple of videos the one that stands out were Hans Hofmann Artist/Teacher which explains his push pull method. I decided to do a few very quick thumbnails to see if I could come up with anything. I found this really hard to do so I looked at my original painting and tried to simplify the shapes and colours.


PLEASE DOUBLE CLICK IMAGES FOR THE LARGEST IMAGE

 

Both of the images above where done very quickly as thumbnails on cartridge paper, these were done with soft pastels.

I decided I wasn’t getting very far with the abstract version of the still life so I decided to have a play in Photoshop. I thought it would be easier to design it as you had the ability to change and swap things around easier.

 

 

It seems to be moving in the right direction but whether I’m moving far enough away from the original I don’t know. Is this piece abstracted enough?

 

 

I’m happy with the final design all I have to do now is get this image onto a canvas and start painting. I might do a few small changes along the way but it won’t be too different from this.

 

 

 

 

This is a print of the finished painting the original painting has be produced on a Canvas Panel at a larger size of 50 x 40cm. Overall I’m happy with the piece I feel I have painted it in a convincing abstract style. I’m still not found of abstract art but I do know more about the style and would give them and extra minute whilst viewing them at a gallery rather than just passing by and moving on to the next realistic piece. If I had to do another abstract painting I would move away from the overlapping style and look more into Hofmann’s push pull theory and look closer at colour.I feel that my technic ability has let me down not all the lines are as straight as I would like them I didn’t have any decent tape to help me achieve this. However after saying this if you hold it at a distance of about 5 meters or more it doesn’t look half as bad as I thought it would. Abstract art is so far out of my comfort zone but I did try to understand it, I’m pleased with the outcome but wouldn’t frame it. If I gave the piece a title such as Stewart Little Plush in a Wellington boot with a Gleaming Rosette I believe the viewer would see it, however without a title it is unrecognisable.