"With abstract art I can create in the moment." -Peggy Guichu
Among the great abundance of languages that exist in our complex world, one that can be understood by all is the language of art. Art is such a wonderful thing. With each new idea that blooms within an artist's mind, it holds the capacity to create new forms of beauty that are truly indescribable. Whether it be through painting, literature, or music, art has the ability to make you feel. And with that, I've chosen Abstract Art as my activity for this quarter's IRP.
Abstract art is the act of using multiple components to create a composition that does not reflect our actual visual reality. When drawing, before I even begin to start a piece of art, I make sure that I have a clear plan set out for what I will create. I ensure that measurements and details are all sketched out. However, according to Stewart, this is what you DON'T want to do. In abstraction, you must let go of the outcome and be open to change along the way (Stewart 26). Keeping this in mind during my activity, I found that the text completely rewired my brain and the process that it usually went through when drawing. It impacted the pressure of my strokes, the colors that I used, and the finish product. As I drew, I saw that I was working only based on what I was feeling. I used dark, expressive strokes as well as soft, happy ones, following no outline throughout. This impact on how I drew was reflective of Stewart's tip of letting go of the outcome because to draw without an outcome in mind usually requires you to follow some sort of procedure, something I excluded to make my piece abstract. In addition, the text impacted the direction that I took when drawing. At the beginning, I decided that I would stay consistent to a darker color scheme. Applying Stewart's advice that I should keep an open mind to change, I decided to then do so and add a contrasting lighter color scheme on the right side. The text impacted my activity by adding much more interest to my final product.
Along with that tip, there are 4 basic components of abstract art: line, shape, texture, and color, that you should also keep in mind (Stewart 46). Regarding the element of shape, Stewart says, "You can use shapes as a way to divide the picture plane. Having variety in shapes within a composition adds interest" (Stewart 45). While I drew, Stewart's insight had made an impact on the entire direction of my piece. Keeping in mind that variety would add interest, Stewart's tips encouraged me to use 2 shapes that looked very different, triangles and circles. Along with that, the text further impacted my drawing because I then focused on making each triangle vary in size, dimension, color, and texture, and for the circle drew it very large so that the variety of shapes would be more apparent. In addition, Stewart also impacted my activity by giving me the idea to use triangles and circles to create division in my piece. As you can see below the triangles mark the left division and the circles mark the right division.
Even if the end product turned out pretty bad, through the text, Stewart helped me improve my art skills by broadening the approach I take when it comes to drawing. Thanks for reading! :)
Abstract art is the act of using multiple components to create a composition that does not reflect our actual visual reality. When drawing, before I even begin to start a piece of art, I make sure that I have a clear plan set out for what I will create. I ensure that measurements and details are all sketched out. However, according to Stewart, this is what you DON'T want to do. In abstraction, you must let go of the outcome and be open to change along the way (Stewart 26). Keeping this in mind during my activity, I found that the text completely rewired my brain and the process that it usually went through when drawing. It impacted the pressure of my strokes, the colors that I used, and the finish product. As I drew, I saw that I was working only based on what I was feeling. I used dark, expressive strokes as well as soft, happy ones, following no outline throughout. This impact on how I drew was reflective of Stewart's tip of letting go of the outcome because to draw without an outcome in mind usually requires you to follow some sort of procedure, something I excluded to make my piece abstract. In addition, the text impacted the direction that I took when drawing. At the beginning, I decided that I would stay consistent to a darker color scheme. Applying Stewart's advice that I should keep an open mind to change, I decided to then do so and add a contrasting lighter color scheme on the right side. The text impacted my activity by adding much more interest to my final product.
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| Before |
Even if the end product turned out pretty bad, through the text, Stewart helped me improve my art skills by broadening the approach I take when it comes to drawing. Thanks for reading! :)
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| After |
| Picture of me drawing |
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| "Hope" |
What is your view on art? :) What is your favorite form of art? What types of art do you create? Would this be something you might want to try?
Stewart, Debora. Abstract Art Painting: Expressions in Mixed Media. Cincinnati, OH: North Light, 2015. Print.
Hi Theresa and whoa so many questions!
ReplyDeleteBut to answer your first question, I honestly, from my perspective believe and agree that art should be viewed from the 'outside' or maybe just without looking at in a straightforward manner. I agree with the author of the book you've chosen to follow, because in terms of art, art is creative and free-flowing, having a clear view on the outcome is thinking too much about the lines when they should just look in between them.
My favorite type of art... hmm, a hard question because to be honest, I don't have one. Maybe painting, but I can't honestly say I've tried every style of art and can only stick to one. No, instead I experiment and continue to experiment until I find the one I'm most passionate about. Though that's highly unlikely, since I'm the type of person that jumps across one line and back to the other repeatedly. Basically I'm indecisive.
The types of art I create, well... again I don't know, because is there a name for it? I make it up along the way, but I do have some paintings or sketches I have done, that have been referenced from an inspiration such as; abstract, perspective, digital, and perhaps whimsy? There's so much more, but I overall tend to stick to my own creativity.
Okay, last question! Yes, this would be something I'm willing to try, in fact I may as well try it right now, I have the pastels needed! I'm really interested in the way you've expressed the abstract art through pastels, I haven't tried that before, besides with pencil and paint. Might I suggest trying out oil pastel, which is similar to the hard or soft pastel you're using, it's also very fun to experiment with.
Olivia, thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteI loved your insight in this response, I found myself relating to what you were saying so many times! I, too, am super indecisive - with just about everything. And maybe I will try out oil pastels in future pieces. They sounds like a really pretty alternative, since the pastels I were using were a bit dry and powdery. Lastly, if you did follow through with trying it, please show me how it turned out! I would love to see. :)