Experimenting with inks and pastels and trying to work more abstractedly which always seems far more fun than painting realistically. [gallery ids="2338,2339" type="rectangular"]

Days 230 and 231 of #art365. Two thirds of the way.... [gallery ids="2332,2333" type="rectangular"]

Reception for my Seascapes exhibition will be 7:00 - 10:00 pm on Saturday, 12th August with art on display through September 5th. Looking forward to meeting up with everyone.      

Often people think that abstract art is just throwing paint at your canvas. Well I guess occasionally it literally IS just throwing paint at your canvas. Most of the time though when I've been trying to create intuitively, my fluid abstract paintings still require some kind of strategy. I experiment with how different paints react with each other, work with different mediums together (e.g. alcohol inks and acrylics) and the use of colours that work with and contrast against each other. Often the result is a kind of fluid art found in nature in lakes, rock formations or crystals. Sometimes a little science is involved in creating cell like structures and lacing - read up on Siqueros accidental painting technique - and I'm forever writing down formulas for my paint mixtures. Mostly though it's fun seeing how the paintings evolve over a few hours as they dry. Here are a few of my experiments. [gallery ids="2289,2290,2291,2292,2294,2295,2296,2297,2298,2299" type="square"]

  Abstract backgrounds - blue jay and cardinal paintings. Works in Progress [gallery ids="2266,2267" type="square" columns="2"]

Art is a very subjective thing. Not everyone will like what you like or even think it's art. I create what I love and hope that someone will love it too. It's great to see my work incorporated within homes especially where a few key pieces stand out. Art really does not have to match your decor and I think a few key design features can really make the overall interior design work. I'm not an interior designer but love reading  interior design magazines and visiting show homes to see how they style homes and use the different styles and sizes of art. When it comes to my paintings usually clients buy finished pieces because they find something within the artwork that appeals to them but occasionally I get requests for specific colours or themes and create something specifically for them. I'm still working from a place of painting intuitively but try to think of the client's personality too. An original piece unique to them is such an honour to create. I've had a few recently where p...

Back to flow techniques this week for a few large commissions and then working on some smaller tiles for the Arts in Bloom three day event in McKinney 7th to 9th April. [gallery ids="2095,2096,2097,2098,2099" type="slideshow"]