New Adventure

So here we go, never blogged before but I often write in my journal or sometimes on any scrap of paper, when the inspiration strikes you have to make a note. My first blog is to go hand in hand with my new venture into exploring mark making abstract expressionism, something that I have never done before.

It is winter, it is cold, just had my birthday, and I find it difficult to sleep at night. Now I wonder firstly what did I do wrong. Mmmm maybe the universe is nudging me into all the rabbit holes one can find especially on pinterest. Haha, we still laugh at the olden days when we did not have cellphones, internet and don't even talk about google.

Well pinterest did take me down this hole since 03:00 this morning ending up here with typewriter keys underneath my fingers. And now that I am actually starting the keys and enjoying it, I am  getting so tired that I can't keep my eyes open. 

Anthony collects my work and he asked me when am I going to do abstract expressionist works, then that following day a friend came and gave me a video to watch on abstract expressionism. That was the keys to starting investigating abstract expressionism. Ade Kipades an artist that lives in Riebeek Kasteel gave a workshop on Art Expression, mark making and through my skills at cooking I was asked to attend the workshop in exchange for helping him with the food. I really enjoyed the workshop and was so gratefull. For me it all boiled down to just starting. These three things (three is important in numerology, joy and creativity) has put me on a path of experimenting with mark making. I have a whole ream of brown card stock and don't have to be worried about surfaces to work on.

 these four works were done on A4 hard board. With oils and then I made a monoprint from it.

 It was extremely difficult to make works that does not represent any thing, and my eye keeps looking for something recognizable, tree, figure, pearls, face. I really admire the artists that can paint in abstract expressionistic way.

 The work above is a monoprint on paper, the monoprint technique gives wonderful textures. Again I am seeing figure, tree, dancing.

 My thoughts while working on this picture was sun, moon, pearls, circles of going round and round, and circle for me is a symbol of completion. I also worked with limited colours Black, White, Yellow Ochre and Sienna brown. It is helpful with the limited palette it keeps the works together in a group.

 Here I added Yellow and Orange still life bottel with flowers. Not my intention to paint these subjects but I think subconsciously these images comes through.

Another Monoprint of the original. I have been watching some video's on youtube about abstract works and I am in doubt should I work more on these images or should I just make them and leave them? Somehow I like the freshness and the spontaneity of the mark making. Maybe it is my fear that I will destroy the work .... I think it will only come in time after I have made a hundred yes that is my aim, HUNDRED A4 ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONS IN OILS