Painting abstracts with Young Friends 1

Organized Chaos w/Metallics, 10 x 8", Acrylic
on Canvas by Tracy Feldman

This is another in my series of abstracts that rescued earlier works that I didn't particularly like.  As with an earlier painting in this series, Layered Levels of Cool (posted on June 24, 2014), I started out creating this abstract by using tape to preserve colors from the original representational work and then splashing colors in an abstract pattern over it.  Then, I lifted the tape to reveal the reserved colors.

       As with Layered Levels, to increase the visual excitement of the piece,  I chose to use colors in my initial abstract layer that were visually opposite from those preserved from the underpainting.  However, when I lifted the tape, I still wasn't happy with the piece, so I decided to swirls thick layers of metallic paints over the rectilinear "lines" created by the tape. I used different items to deliver my paint swirls and squiggles. I also chose to use metallics from different color families for each of my linear calligraphic elements.  Those two decisions combined to help the viewer distinguish each calligraphic layer from the next, and to create more order and depth in this seemingly chaotic abstract.  That is why I call this piece Organized Chaos w/Metallics.

Delia's Ghost Eye on my Studio wall.

     A fun fact about this  little abstract is that it started out being something I did while working with my 7-year-old niece, Delia. I had promised her we'd do art together.   I suggested that we might want to take one of my old representational pieces and use tape and paint to create an entirely different, abstract painting.  She wanted to paint a piece that was more representational, and so I was the one who did the multilevel abstract.

    Delia created two pieces when we worked together -- an etherial abstract, and a work that started out as representational, but evolved into something that also has a fairly abstract quality.  She worked hard that day, and seemed to have a good time.  To the right is Ghost Eye.  She only used black and white over a light blue ground to create her piece, and used a brush technique that I really like because it added lots of texture and depth to her piece.  I don't have a picture of Delia's first piece, because she took it home, but   she gave me Ghost Eye, and as I promised, I hung it in my studio.

      Next week I'll be painting with another young friend, Katherine, who is the daughter of a couple of my husband's colleagues. She's also about 7. She's been painting for a while and originally was a Pollock follower, but this summer she participated in an art program that introduced her to realism and pointillism. It will be interesting to see what she wants to work on when she's here.  I'll post what we do then.

    As usual when I produce a little work, I am making it available on auction in my gallery on the Daily Paintworks site.  If you think you might be interested in it (or just want to check out the gallery) check it  by clicking here.