Apologies for the lack of post yesterday, but my P.C. flatly refused to work, so I was a bit stuck. Today, I have another piece that quite literally 'came to me in a dream'. I know it's something of a cliché, but I had a dream one night that I was painting this picture and when I woke up in the middle of the night it was still so vividly imprinted on my mind that I grabbed my sketchbook and some oil pastels and quickly drew a sketch of the 'dream painting'. Here's the sketch:
I quickly went back to sleep after doing this sketch and, when I woke up the next day, I started painting the piece on a box canvas in acrylics. This is the finished painting:
I quickly went back to sleep after doing this sketch and, when I woke up the next day, I started painting the piece on a box canvas in acrylics. This is the finished painting:
After I'd finished it, I called it 'Exploring Atlantis', mainly because the colours had an underwater feel to them and because some of the objects in the painting look a little like strange, otherworldly structures to me. Of course, your mileage may vary and I'm always eager to hear other people's feelings and interpretations of my work... particularly when they've sprung so fully-formed from my unconscious mind like this one.
10 comments:
This is the sort of picture that makes me want a PDS of my own (I'll be getting back to you on that ASAP.) :-)
Glad you like it so much, J. I know you're cooking up your own idea for a commission for me, which is great, but I would be entirely remiss not to point out that THIS painting is actually still for sale as well. :-)
One thing at a time PD, one thing at a time! ;)
Just joshing, my friend; I know you have something particular in mind!
I'm not usually one for abstract work, but I really like this one.
I'm glad you do. I think a lot of people are too caught up in a 'I-don't-like-abstract-art-because-my-five-year-old-could-do-it' mindset and it stops them from allowing themselves to enjoy huge swathes of art. Personally, I'd recomment seeing each individual piece of artwork as an entity in its own right and not worry about what artistic 'genre' it fits into. After all, there are many, many degrees of abstraction. Anything that isn't 100% photorealistic painting is actually abstract to a degree... and there really isn't a great deal of 100% photorealistic painting out there, particularly since the invention of the camera rendered it largely pointless as anything other than a test of technical skill.
I'm with Brad here: seeing your abstracts Paul has given me a whole new attitude to this most vexatious of modern artistic forms. I feel that I'm being educated. ;)
You can't possibly imagine how big my smile is after reading that, J. I'm absolutely delighted you feel that way and I'll try not to let you down!
I don't think that's the reason.
I think it's because I find myself unable to explain WHY I like abstract art (on the occasions when I do). With all narrative forms I can say "I like the story", or "the characters were cool". Even with non-narrative art-forms I can say "I like the melody" or "I like the composition of the figures in the background".
With abstract art, however, I lack any technical knowledge, so all I can ever really offer is "Um...I like this...because I do?".
Which a) makes me sound dumb and b) is hardly of use to an artist seeking constructive criticism.
I wasn't suggesting that was the reason why YOU had a problem with abstract art, Brad, I was just relating a common reason that I've come across a lot over the years.
I definitely relate to what you're saying in this latest comment. It really does tie into musical appreciation; it's a case of training your eye to recognise visual 'melodies' in the same way you've trained your eye to recognise musical ones. Like music, art works on a certain level because it resonates with the rest of our experiences in life, much like music. These resonances aren't always conscious ones, which is why somebody who has no type of education in music or painting can still enjoy a song/picture without being able to describe precisely why they like it.
You're a musician, so you have a more educated understanding of the reasons why you like certain melodies and don't like others, but that doesn't mean somebody who isn't a musician can't enjoy 'Ziggy Stardust' just as much as you... they just wouldn't be able to express it as well... and there's really no shame in that.
Similarly, I've had a formal art education, so I can talk about the reasons certain compositions (for example) work better than others, but that doesn't mean I enjoy the paintings more than somebody else who doesn't have artistic training.
The reasons abstract art resonates with people are actually the same reasons non-abstract art resonates with people. The only difference, really, is that abstract art makes the attempt to distill those reasons into their purest forms. It's really an exercise in discovering what exactly it is we like when we say we like something. It's a case of boiling your sense of aesthetics down to its most basic level and then rebuilding it in an entirely new way.
Much like a lot of experimental jazz, I suppose.
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