One of the questions most often asked is, “How long does it take to make an abstract painting?” Here’s an example of one that has taken a long time to complete. This piece was started last year and is intended to be a companion piece to 2 other pieces previously finished.
1st Draft
After choosing a palette of earthy colors I put the first strokes onto the canvas. From there it started to evolve with more definition and added texture but lost its sense of freshness.
2nd Draft
After a long time of letting the painting rest, I decided I didn’t really care for the way it had developed in terms of colors and size of the repeated patterns. It was just kind of blah. So, I made the decision to adjust the color scheme to a higher chroma orange with darker purpler areas. The change was striking. The previous design seemed uncertain and without clear direction. Now a design with connections was emerging.
The next step was to add more texture and unify the colors. Adjustments to color intensity began. I turned the painting to make sure I was working with the right flow pattern.
The bright purple wasn’t working with the high chroma orange and needed to be toned down. A more definitive path was created through the composition with a darker, flatter, violet. This created more space and added dimension.
It’s time to let the painting rest a while now. A little more work needs to be done in the middle left edge but that will have to wait. In a few weeks I will have a fresh eye to return for the final touch ups. More to come….
Sara's Art 