It was month two of the new year and I was still not organized for the year! I was so thrilled to start off the new year with a good plan. Amazingly I felt relaxed and content during the holidays knowing I would have a good year ahead.
Suddenly I was resistant. What happened?
Why couldn’t I move forward? And my goodness, why did I ever agree to swap paintings with a fellow artist – adding another project to my already full plate.
I was involved in activities I enjoyed, and therefore doing what I wanted, yet I was feeling anxious! What was that all about?
I had been giving-in to distractions. It was time to show up to do the work. Sound familiar?
But first I needed to do something that would free up some space in my head, loosen up my creative juices, and bring on a new perspective.
I needed to step away from it all and do something to leave me feeling refreshed.
So, it was time to do something different! Go beyond the (paint) brush. Then follow the flow – literally, follow the flow with some action painting.
Enter stage right — Abstract Expressionism!
Creating and viewing abstract art engages different parts of our minds that summon up intrinsic responses. Generally, when we view art we extract information in an ordered manner to acquire knowledge about the work and we may even compare it to how other artists have expressed the same theme. Painting in a traditional manner entails a system to achieve a desired result, which is often evident in the finished piece and this history of the work contributes to our understanding of it and how we relate to it.
All the same, abstract expressionists often employ a method too, but for this purpose our goal is to let the materials used take the lead as we are creating, rather than manipulating them in a manner to achieve a predetermined result. When we action paint, the act of splashing, dripping, and pouring paint onto a surface and even letting it change as it dries, is an unpredictable way to create.
The creator finds value in the process, versus the finished work. Viewers respond to the uniqueness of the composition. As a result, this style of painting, for artists and non-artists alike, can loosen up the creative process and broaden one’s perspective.
The same principles and elements are present in abstract expressionism as for other styles of art.
Whether you are a visual artist, writer, performance artist, or anyone that requires finding new solutions or a new approach to something, taking a break from your regular routine and painting in an abstract manner is a good way to supplement, not necessarily replace, your current working technique or medium and get your creative juices flowing. Refresh yourself and when your mind quiets downs and is clear your perspective changes.
Coming up . . . I will be creating in an abstract manner with acrylic paint and alcohol inks and sharing my thoughts and some techniques I use in my next few blogs. Up next experimental studies.