Abstract Painting Techniques
After I finish one of my photorealist paintings I have many 'ice cube palettes' of left over paint. Their will usually be the entire gamut of colors in all their glory, and nowhere to go. Well I certainly wouldn't just pour them down the drain so I create these totally abstract paintings from them. Often when I get an idea of the subject matter, I'll mix up additional colors and continue down a path. Occasionaly that path will change and a new 'image' will emerge in my mind and then more paint will be added.
The usual process is simply a matter of inverting the palettes full of their colors. With the viscocity of paint I use, I have several pools of colored paint which then get manipulated into little thin rivers which can blend with other colors and create beautiful effects. I also flick, splatter and manipulate the paint in any way that I need. I sometimes even use a brush! This process can take half an hour and then I'll put the painting down flat and wait for the paint to dry. Even though the quoted total time is quite low (compared to my other paintings) it actually takes quite a while to produce such an amazing mess!
Compostion is an important part of this type of abstract expressionism and it is a learnt skill. Not as hard as realist painting but it requires a passion and concentration to use such a limited technique to obtain a satisfactory image.
As for what I describe as the subject matter it is entirely subjective. The viewer is welcome to interpret the content for themselves. I actually intend for this to happen. There is no right and wrong. There is only what you see and get out of a particular work.
