Abstract art: progression and process

Today I wanted to share a little insight about how my paintings progress and develop. I thought I’d show you some abstract paintings I’m currently working on at different stages of un-dress and un-doneness.

ALIGN THE PROCESS WITH THE INTENTION

Every artist has a different process and it’s important that the process you choose to use or develop reflects the things you are interested in. Our processes are a vital part of the mix, they are part of our art decision making, part of how we want our art to feel and be.

There is no one way to paint a painting. I try and ensure that the way I paint a painting emphasises and aligns with my sensibilities and reflects how I want my art to feel…

So for example I love delightful details, layers of complexity, rich maximalist combinations, I want my art to be bright and playful but also have a depth and complexity. I enjoy exuberance AND control. I like a sense of seeking and finding. I enjoy my paintings when they feel like they have a history, like they are interesting objects with a past. I want to celebrate beauty in the mundane. And because I have really thought about all this, I am better able to develop art making processes which give me these results.

TWO QUESTIONS

So in a nutshell it is useful to think “what are my paintings about?” and “how can my processes support and align with this?”

Art inspirations and fascinations

Creating art is a process of unpacking the things in life which fascinate; a wonderful way to explore obsessions and better understand curiosities. Creativity is a process of discovery and exploration.

By making art, I have discovered more about my self and the world I inhabit.

It has encouraged me to meet myself on the page, to become clearer on what moves me, motivates me, interests me and lights me up.  To follow the threads of my curiosity and weave them together. 

EXTERNAL WORLD

The process of creating art has ignited multiple and diverse love affairs for ancient textiles, seaweed, fossils, found patterns, painted ceramics, trees roots, sacred geometry, weeds, patterned rugs, reflections on water, hand embroidery, folk art, iridescence....

It has connected me to tthe world around me in a tangible life-enriching way. I notice more of what I am curious and fascinated by.

INTERNAL WORLD

It has also prompted me to tune-in to my own sensibilities. Why do I create art in the way that I do? What is my art about? I would say my art is about delightful details, beauty in the mundane, seeking and finding, layers of complexity, reveling in colour, fragments of wonder and awe, exuberance and control, moments of joy, combinations and juxtapositions, threads through time…

I want my art to feel expressive, joyful, combine exuberance with quietness, be bright, playful, interesting, complex.This is also how I want my life to feel, what excites me in my art is what I seek in my life and what I seek in my art is what excites me in life..

My favorite types of sketchbook

WHY I LOVE SKETCHBOOKS

Sketchbooks are a place where I make art for myself. The pages are not necessarily filled with ‘sketches,’ the art is not necessarily a draft for something more important, although it can be, I think of my sketchbooks as a place where I experiment and express myself. Sketchbooks are where I gather together the hints, whispers and clues of my artistic practice. Sketchbooks are the filing cabinets for my art making. They are a place to collect and curate small delights and large curiosities. They are a place to make for the joy of creating, a place to find a path through, problem solve, follow a thread. They are both a homecoming and an adventure…

FILLING UP A SKETCHBOOK

I used to abandon sketchbooks after a few pages. Now I try to always fill them up, I’ve found that the more art is in a book the more inspiring I find it to work in, it gains a momentum, I often prefer what I’ve made in the second half of the book. There is something about a full sketchbook that gives me pride, the fact I am able to keep going and fill one up, it feels like an achievement.

I still find the first few pages of a sketchbook to be a little daunting though, sometimes I don’t even start on the first page, but rather I start a few pages in and circle back to fill in those first few pages when the sketchbook has found its footing…and I’m feeling more assured.

MY FAVOURITE TYPES OF SKETCHBOOK

Here are the types of sketchbook I use the most, these are just my personal preferences, the ones I like to use or buy.

1. VENEZIA BOOK FROM FABRIANO

I use different sketchbooks for different things and tend to have more than one on the go at once. For my main studio sketchbook I use a Venezia Book from Fabriano, it is my favourite. I like the paper which is 200gsm or 90lbs in weight, I use the version that is 23cm x 30 cm `which lays flat. It’s a good size for me and can take quite a lot of collage material and wet paint.

2. STILLMAN & BIRN ZETA RANGE

I buy the square version of this sketchbook which has beautiful smooth 270gsm paper and is 19cm x 19cm.

3. POCKET SIZE CONCERTINA SKETCHBOOK FROM SEAWHITE OF BRIGHTON

This is an accordion or concertina sketchbook made from long folded pieces of paper. These are small, portable and quick to fill as they are only 17.5cm x 9cm. The paper isn’t that thick but because the book is constructed from two long sheets of paper joined together it feels thicker than its 140gsm paper weight. It comes with a hard carrying case and I find it great for working outside or carrying about in my bag. It has two long pieces of paper, folded into pages and I enjoy working across these expanded surfaces and folding the pages in and out to see what I have created with new eyes.

4.DALER ROWNEY A3 ARTIST’S HARD BACK SKETCHBOOK

These hard backed sketchbooks are really large, it’s an A3 size which means a double page spread is A2. The paper is smooth acid free 160gsm and it contains 48 sheets or 48 double page spreads.

5. HANDMADE AND HOMEMADE ART BOOKS

As part of my overall sketchbook practice I love making all sorts of quick handmade, small art books and sketchbooks. I often make them from offcuts and oddments and abandoned and unloved pages and scrap paper and they become something new and interesting. To me a small homespun sketchbook feels quite liberating and joyful to create in. The stakes are low and so I perhaps create with less weight of expectation and more experimentation…

The power of creativity

I believe that the more creativity we can incorporate into our day-to-day lives the more fulfilling, interesting and meaningful our lives become. Here, I share a few of my thoughts on everyday creativity.

What is creativity

Creativity is making things. Creativity is breaking out of a rut. Creativity is doing things differently. Seeing things from a different perspective. It’s inventiveness, playfulness and experimentation. My idea of what constitutes creativity and your idea will be completely different and that is part of the magic. Creativity is personal and is an expression of self.

Why is creativity important

For many years I didn’t do anything creative at all – and that makes me sad. I now know that being creative brings pleasure, fulfilment and meaning. Creativity carries with it a sense of possibility and optimism. Creativity is a form of self-expression; it allows us to have a conversation with ourselves about our fascinations and curiosities. Creating things allows our head, heart and hands to work in unison.

Untapped creativity

Being creative can bring joy, delight and light. But if you’re not using your innate creativity it’s not just a missed opportunity, it has consequences. Brene Brown writes powerfully about what happens to our untapped creativity: 

Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns in to grief, rage, judgment, sorrow, and shame.

— BRENE BROWN

I like to challenge myself to be creative in small ways. 

Doing things differently

I like to think about how I can do things differently, or in a new way to disrupt the hum-drum a little. So, whether its walking a different way, putting an outfit together differently, cooking a new recipe, seeking an unusual ingredient, going to places I’ve never been to before, reading up about a subject which I know very little about, I’m an artist so I might read about an artist I don’t know much about, I might try using an art material or a way of making I’ve not tried before……I invite you to disrupt your habitual patterns just a little by challenging yourself to try new things or do things in different ways..

Looking and finding

I go out looking for inspiration, actively seeking new or interesting sights and places, finding and consciously absorbing details more closely than before. I like to take note and photograph things which surprise and delight me, things which I find beautiful or intriguing. Sometimes I just go for a walk wth my camera phone to find visually pleasing details, new angles and perspectives around my neighbourhood. Try it for yourself so what you can find when you pay close attention.

A stolen window of time

I love the idea from Julia Cameron of an artist’s date. This is where you set a creativity date with yourself and you do something nourishing, a stolen window of time to spend on your own, doing something ‘enchanting’, creative and fun for yourself and by yourself.

Making a list

Documenting ideas, capturing and curating them can be powerful. I like to write down all of the ways in which I could challenge myself, do things differently, things I’d like to try, things I enjoy, a running list to remind me and nudge me. I might include materials I want to explore further, artists I want to read more about…. I find that writing these things down helps to keep them alive and prevents them from getting lost to the ether… this list can be a useful route map for those days when inspiration is lacking…

So that’s just a few thoughts on creativity. I wish you lots of luck in all your creative pursuits and endeavours. Creating things for the sake of creating things can be a magical thing to do…