I’ve been prepping for an Adventures in Abstraction workshop I’m giving in Maine and will be including these among tons of other ideas:

Notes and more quotes on abstraction:

Abstraction:

• opens up creative possibilities
• realizes the world is not just physical and material, but also emotional and spiritual
• gets in touch with existential uncertainty
• historically, as the subconscious mind was starting to be understood, the world started becoming more comfortable embracing abstraction
• abstraction captures expressive movement, gesture, spontaneity, and improvisation
• is a moral framework, an ethical calling
• allows us to better relate to one another
• is completed by the viewer
• allows one to bask and communicate in line, colors, form and shapes
• emphasizes composition as an end in itself
• is anything that is stylized or simplified
• can be carefully planned or unplanned and experimental or partway in between
• does not rely on an external references
• implies a freedom and space for imagination
• can offer an escape from material reality
• is a way to explore pure feeling or energy
• creates a new world for the viewer
• expresses what cannot fully be understood or explained by words
• is synonymous with instinctive and intuitive
• is non-literal a way to tell a visual story
• causes an emotional reaction
• lets us reinterpret the world in a fresh way
• connects with us on the subconscious level
• colors and textures untethered from objects speak to our souls
• is unfolded rather than forced
• does not need to stick to conventions or expectations
• is open to interpretation
• has no right or wrong
• reduces things and ideas down to their essentials
• is a direct way to communicate feelings
• helps us pause and ponder
• creates a dialogue between artist and canvas, as well as the viewer
• an alchemy of visuals intertwined with thought
• is layered with impressions and choices that lead to satisfaction

“Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot see physically with his eyes… Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite. It is the emancipation of the mind. It is an exploration into unknown areas.” Arshile Gorky

“The word ‘abstract’ comes from the Latin term ‘abstractus’ meaning to be ‘drawn away.’ The idea is that concepts become distanced from their corresponding material objects.” Correy Baldwin

“Abstraction is pure creation. It casts spiritual processes into a corporeal mould…. it becomes expression.” Oswald Hertzog

“I see my work similar to a piece of instrumental music, in the way that various elements in a piece work together to create narrative, rhythm, and flow across the visual field; music is also fundamentally an abstract art form. I see my work as maps the eye can explore, through portals, passageways, and borders.” Liam Hennessy

“Painting abstract is like walking through an unpaved realm of art.” Bhargari Rudraraju

“Abstract art allows me to add a spiritual dimension to everyday life by inviting me to create images that take us elsewhere. The mysterious and the reverie make their way through the interplay of textures, lines, shapes, and colors.” Helene Craig

“Abstraction is work that is generated from the inside out rather than the outside in.” Patricia Frederick