I am amazed at how your abstracts are fused with the emotion you are trying to portray. I have been oil /acrylic painting for nearly 30 yrs and would like to try the challenge of abstraction. Any advice on how to begin?

I recommend you watch a past Powerpoint talk I gave about abstraction. (An art group recorded it and put it on YouTube. It is not the most recent version of this talk, and there is a version with more of a variety of media as well, but the information is still good. I give these talks to art groups both on zoom and in person, if you are in a group that would be interested.) Anyway, I think seeing this will give you a lot of your answer: the link to the YouTube Powerpoint talk I gave is here. It will help you learn to see more abstractly and will teach you about the various types of abstraction, both of which will give you a big jump start.

The difference with my abstractions than most others you see is that I start with a concept and then paint that idea, which gives the piece focus, content, and direction. A lot of abstract artists paint willy-nilly, and then name it later, and the result can feel ambiguous or less meaningful. So I recommend you start with a concept you’ll figure out how to paint. My first ones were Confidence (above) and July (below). In the video at the top of my art website homepage I explain this. See it here.

Beyond that, it is important to understand and utilize the elements of art (line, color, shape, value, and texture) as well as the principles of pattern, repetition, rhythm, and compositional design; all these become way more important when there is no representational subject matter to help your viewer. These are what I emphasize in my classes, as well as some fun techniques to get you there. An attitude of play, exploration, and “what would happen if” attitude of discovery, are also helpful. It takes some thinking and analysis, but I like that so much, painting representationally just doesn’t hold the same fascination for me.

If you like what you painted, and it feels authentic to you, others will as well, even if maybe not everyone. That’s the last important thing: take what others think about your abstract art with a large grain of salt. You do you, without apology, and with progressive focus and joy, and it will find its audience. Abstract art ultimately is about you and your outlook, experience, and expression, so you have to be willing to expose what is most deeply true about yourself.

I hope this helps! This truly is a wonderful subject to explore!

How do you not feel beleaguered with so much cooking over the holidays?

The story of Mary and Martha comes to me from the Bible. Martha is “encumbered about with much serving” and she thinks Mary should help her more. Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus, taking in what he’s saying and basking in his presence. Jesus says Mary has chosen the better part. I try to choose the better part too, and that doesn’t mean no one gets the food! More, it is a matter of perspective. I do what I do while basking in everyone’s Christlikeness. What could be more wonderful? As we say in our house, “just because your hands are in the dishwater, doesn’t mean your mind has to be.”

I see the act of planning, cooking, and serving those I love a ministerial and reverent act. This keeps the burden out of it. I also chose what to prepare that I knew was delicious, but wouldn’t stretch me too much, make me anxious, or turn my head away from what I’d rather focus on. That’s why so many of my dishes were already on the blog; I picked things that were tried and true for me, well worn grooves that did not feel like a stretch. Having a good plan is huge, and then working that plan is not that big of a deal, but rather just consistently taking the next step.

Additionally, I was still professionally working and on call all throughout the holidays, while my guests were on break. Again, as a matter of perspective, I could have felt someone should do the cooking instead of me, since I  was already doing more, but contrariwise, it was easy for me to do the work since I was already in gear and wasn’t on holiday. They were work days for me filled with the extra benefit of having loved ones around. I knew I’d have time when they were gone to doodle around, so I was happy to be full on in every fringe second, when they were here.

The bottom line is that we choose our perspective, and being “beleaguered” is one that I knew wouldn’t serve me, so I didn’t choose it. It is easy to choose to be joyful about preparing good food, loving having family present, and being grateful for it all; it is more joyous too.

Let me know if you have any questions for me either in the comments or contact me here.