Abstraction Reflection

1. If it looks like a kindergartener could make it, how can we call it art?

I think that abstraction can go beyond a blue circle and a yellow square. It is about using materials and techniques to create something. I used different values of blues and greens in my piece which gave it some depth. Abstract art has a lot to do with emotion. It is about feeling something and finding a way to put that feeling on a canvas. There are also other ways to make a piece more substantial such as exploring composition, design, colours, techniques, shading, movement, and shapes.

2. How do artists find the essence of an object to abstract reality?

Artists find the essence of an object through looking at it in different environments and exploring shapes and colours. The idea is distorting or altering a real object, and making it your own. We can make it abstract through exploring texture, shape, colours, and movement.

3. How can I understand properties of paint, color mixing and apply them to an abstract composition?

Paint and colour mixing is an essential element to abstract pieces. Abstraction is about emotions, movement, and fluidity. Colours can evoke different emotions from the viewer. For example, red often connotes anger, or perhaps blood. Blue often resembles sadness, white resembles peace or simplicity, and green often connotes life. The use of these colours creates an emotional connection with the viewer. Colour mixing is also important, since it isn't very thoughtful to use paint straight from the bottle; it is better to mix colours until you get a specific shade.

4. In my painting, I focused on the movement of the piece. It is composed of shapes that are round on the sides, and pointy at the top - kind of like a pinched oval, or a feather. Blue and green waves move through the piece and around these shapes. I used blue since it was a simple colour, and green because it was relaxing. I wanted my painting to resemble somewhat of an ocean, but I included the feather shapes to make it original. The blue, purple and green are repeated to create unity. I also mixed white with these colours and gradually made it lighter as you move towards the feather shapes. This helps create depth, as well as make the painting more interesting for the viewer.