Canvas Talks

You may be wondering what in the world that splash of color is on the title of this webpage. That is my first serious venture into the world of abstract art. A friend commissioned me for this piece, and her only instructions were: 24x48 inch oil on canvas with bright colors, primarily red and yellow, that doesn't resemble anything. Voila!

Were it not for a chance encounter with Sam Gilliam on the first sunny spring day of 2009 I would not have known where to start. But after visiting his friend's studio and watching them work on a Smithsonian commission I felt prepared. He taught me that abstract is an extension of the painting and drawing basics, not a simplified version of them. He also taught me that color and composition are king. With that in mind, I paid very strict attention to planning every color mixture and knife-stroke in advance, and followed my plan exactly. This was a large departure from my typical painting method: 2 hours, palette knife, good playlist, glass of wine, done.

Knowing that I wanted a yellow background, I started with a purple wash so that the yellow would pop. I mixed it with earth tones and highlighted it with transparent gold. Instead of going straight for red I added a layer of its complementary color, dark green. Then came the red. I made sure to mix it into the green layer a bit to avoid crayola syndrome. The background to the bright colors is dark purple again, then in the final layer I stopped adding earth tones. Instead, when mixing the highlights, I began using white to pop it. I finished the center colors before the yellow/orange hue that appears almost like an aura around them. That hue was part of my plan but I had been nervous to put it in before adding the colors. The painting was missing something, though. I took a deep breath and thought "well, if it doesn't work, I'll paint over it."

The end result: Depth, thanks to alternating warm and cool colors, and mixing in earth tones. Composition, thanks to an off-center vertical spike. Light, thanks not to dabbing white here and there, but using warmer, yellow, reflective light and shadow. Lesson learned: Follow the plan, breathe, and listen to the canvas.

Does it look like anything? That's up to you to decide.

Drink: Dark and Stormy
Playlist: Naomi's - from DC: The Movie production