abstract

Air element

/ Robert / 2 Comments
Version 2

I considered presenting a blank sheet. After all how do you paint something unseen? Weightlessness came to mind, such a heavy word to describe something ethereal; unseen, lighter than a feather.

My imaginings are viewed through a water element induced feelings lens. Increasingly with age, earthbound gravity anchors me as I am dragged along the ground like a hot air balloon basket being divested of collected paraphernalia. It doesn’t seem to matter how much is discarded I just can’t seem to get my carcass of the earth.

Both versions of the abstract watercolour are posted here.

The first feels heavy, constrained, forced, and overworked.

I am happier with second version.

  • I was aiming for:
  • Purple for spirit, and I believe, evolved thought
  • Yellow for the air element, in my view also sunny hope filled optimism
  • Blue resonates for me as free limitless sky high thinking
  • While white space represents light and calm

A decade or two ago, I was fascinated by people who read a book while completing gym based cardiovascular training. In contrast, I felt like I was soaring as I listened to dance music. The beats, sounds, and crescendoing voices motivating my body to pump and work harder to lift me higher and higher.

Nowadays, finding the music in the gym too loud, I can’t be bothered to try to compete with my earbuds. Dialling up the volume sets off my tinnitus. I can complete forty minutes’ exercise in the aerobic heartbeat zone while reading a book on my phone. It works on the reclined bike, elliptical trainer, and treadmill.

Water abstract mixed media

/ Robert / 7 Comments

On the back of the success of the fire oval and circle, I revisited water in the round. Above is the result.

I applied multiple washes in shades of blue, turquoise, and green.

I sprayed water onto the whole to create dappling and to soften the edge. Clean salt was added and removed twice to reinforce the darker splodges.

The ovoid version including less washes and recycled salt is included again below for comparison.

Water inspired

/ Robert / 4 Comments
Final abstract mixed media A3 painting

This abstract mixed media painting was inspired by the colours of water over submerged sand islands viewed whilst descending towards Cairns off the coast of Far North Queensland, Australia.

Concept sketch 1
Concept sketch 2

Whilst on holiday in Port Douglas, using my husband’s 1980s Winsor and Newton Sketcher’s palette, I completed a couple of concept sketches on A6 cartridge paper.

After returning home, I started with a pencil oval outline filled with light watercolour washes in acqua, blue, and green. Texture was created by adding large clean salt crystals that absorbed the water and hues.

The outline was inked in and more washes added.

First draft

Water was sprayed on sections of the picture freeing up the colours to merge, and the edges and outline to soften. Darker shades were added to the water droplets and encouraged to flow into each other. Salt recycled from other paintings was added to create random patches of soft brown and pink.

The above was repeated a few times until the final version emerged.

Harmony in nature

/ Robert / 7 Comments
Harmony in nature, abstract mixed media

Last Saturday, having gazed at the bookcase from my chair, I was inspired to create something using three ceramic pieces modelled on nature. A leaf, a shell adorned cornucopia, and a hyacinth leaf vase.

I arranged and drew around the objects in pencil then ink. I decided on purple for the cornucopia using the colour of mussel shell for inspiration, predictably green for the leaf, and finally orange for the vase.

On Sunday, I thought the shapes I had chosen worked well together as there was movement between them from the colours intermingling. Wishing to add depth and luminance, I added yellow washes to the orange and green and redid the ink outline.

After deciding the abstract picture was called harmony in nature, I added three black undulating lines to ground and orientate the central image.

Abstract space theme

/ Robert / 4 Comments

I completed this experimental mixed media painting a month ago. The circles were completed first.

I masked the perimeter before adding the ink background. Finally, salt created blue shading in the black.

Unfortunately, some of the watercolour came off when the tape was removed.

Voyage of discovery

/ Robert / 8 Comments

This is the first abstract watercolour I have attempted in a while when I first painted the background and then the subject.

It features part of a purple to pink airhead against a graduated background of green through yellow to orange with sponged decoration.

I am pleasantly surprised with the result.

Free stuff

/ Robert / 7 Comments
multi media abstract foamed ovoids

I will brazenly prostitute myself for the chance of being rewarded with free stuff. I am delighted if a free cloth bag contains paper and pens. And boy do I hoard them.

Around a decade ago in Sydney, the local office supply company, Office Works were giving customers a bag weighed down with pencils, pens, pencil case, and bookmarks.

The pink, green, and purple ink pens used in today’s mixed media abstract picture are from that boon. I used the pens to outline the ovoids, washed over with watercolour and drew the shapes again on top.

The stamped circles were outlined in Lipton’s decaffeinated tea with paint added while wet.

Flight of fancy

/ Robert / 8 Comments

My first watercolour and ink abstract; flight of fancy.

I painted the watercolour first then overlaid purple ink. I also had a go at watercolour stamped rings using the rim of a drinking glass.

I may go back to add some more bubbles.

More bubbles and yellow pencil outline

Is life about the journey rather than the destination?

/ Robert / 6 Comments
Abstract ovoid bridge

I think it depends on how one measures the journey, in time or in distance. Also, there are many milestones and enjoyable deviations along life’s path.

26 years ago we moved from Birmingham, UK to Sydney, Australia, 17,034 km. The journey took three flights and a couple of nights’ stopover in Singapore. It is a distant memory.

When travelling, I prefer to get to where I am going as quickly as possible so that I can maximise the time at the destination.

In comparison to the UK, distances in Australia are gargantuan. The UK is about 965 km north to south. Our move from Sydney to Brisbane in 2018 was 1,000 km, a ten hours drive.

We continue to enjoy our shared highway of 30 years together in the UK and Australia. The ups and downs have brought us closer and reinforced our commitment to each other. We appreciate spending valuable time with our dear friends. The moments shared with them are like dazzling jewels along our road.

This week’s abstract watercolour fits in with the journeying theme. It was inspired by my husband suggesting overlapping ovoids might be interesting.

It took a number of weeks for the idea to sprout into a possibility. On plan it is a bridge made up of piles of alternating purple and green rock hoops topped with an orange capstone. I tried out the concept in Freeform on the iPhone and sketched it with coloured pencils before attempting to paint it free hand.

Enhanced abstract abalone shell

/ Robert / 4 Comments
Enhanced abstract abalone interior

One of the artists I follow on Instagram posted a video of the painting of three green, purple, olive solid overlapping circles in portrait. Over this a stem and dense large leaves were added. Using a pen, lines and dots were added to alternate leaves. Then something else was added, I cannot remember what, probably flowers. I would have stopped at the three circles. I liked the simplicity of the forms, the colours, and the spatial calm.

Yesterday, I added green, yellow, and purple pencil bubbles to the abalone shell inspired watercolour from last week.

The original abstract abalone shell reflects my aim for an ‘ideal’ restrained and constrained abstract watercolour. The result evoked a meh response from me. Internally, I wrestled with the original is okay, I may make it worse if I do anything to it. Down the track, I would have earmarked it as a failure, turned the sheet over and painted on the back.

I now love the pimped up version and for the Internet, the addition of a Google Snapseed pop filter. It is sort of my first mixed media picture.