Abstract Painting
This summer my husband and I made a trek to Oregon and various other places. We drove over 6000 miles. That’s a lot of driving! I thought I would share a few things I worked on during this time.
First of all, I took at least a thousand photographs of our travels. I used my Nikon SLR digital camera and carried it with me almost everywhere we went. I now have a ton of reference material ready for my choosing. Digital technology really has given artists an added advantage. I downloaded my photos to my Ipad each day. Deciding which reference material to use first is going to tough. Decisions, decisions….. What a great problem to have.
Anyway, when traveling I knew I would not be able to do any large works, so I prepared in advance for some smaller things. Lately I have really been enjoying adding ink to my watercolors so, before leaving for Oregon I made a large abstract watercolor painting to draw on. I painted on a full watercolor sheet, splattering and blending brilliant transparent color to create a pleasing composition. After it was dry, I tore the large painting into smaller ones that would be easy to carry.
These small paintings are wonderful to work on when you have short bursts of time. I worked on them whenever I had a spare moment. I even pulled several of these paintings out while sitting around the campsite visiting with family. 
With the paintings already created, I use a fine point pen to create lines and designs on the surface. The technique is pretty much like doodling. I look for shapes within the painting filling them with lines, dots, dashes, squiggles, etc. These paintings are fun, colorful, and playful. I like the way they make me feel when I am creating them and also when I view them later. I even taught two of my granddaughters how to create their own abstract paintings.
More later……
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