Improvisational Process of Abstract Expressionism

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

There were many varieties of abstract expressionism when the label was first applied to painters like Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Hans Hoffman, Arshile Gorky, Franz Kline, and so on. Mark Rothko’s work, for example, feels like a quiet, studied meditation on color.

But for me, the heart of abstract expressionism is the improvisational practice of responding to the marks on the canvas–letting your hands and eyes do the dance together–exploring and discovering–rather than painting an image already in your mind. Another term applied to this practice is action painting.

In any case, I’ve been focusing on this practice in my own studio lately. In today’s painting, I applied blocks of color directly from the tube–ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, and magenta. Then I painted the background in platinum.

After that I took a brush, added some white, and began the “action painting” process–combining colors, letting the brush strokes show in the wet paint. Next I added some raw umber, Prussian blue, and alizarin crimson to the mix.

My last step was to draw accenting lines in Prussian blue.

Abstract Expressionism #200, 24″ x 24″ acrylic on canvas.

A Break from Color in My New Abstract Painting

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

Today I decided to pare down my palette and take a break from color. In this new abstract painting, I first covered the whole canvas with titanium white.

Next, I used a palette knife to apply broad sweeps of mars black on top of the white. Since the white was still wet, some sections came out as pure black, others were a blend.

Then I used the knife to create some shapes in parchment–a kind of off-white. Edges of the parchment blended with the white and black.

Finally, I drew a few lines in mars black to emphasize sections and give more texture.

Abstract Painting #194, 20″ x 20″ acrylic on canvas

After studying the painting for a couple of days, I decided it needed more black and more “weight” on the bottom. I drew a lot of lines in black and added more parchment in the bottom section of the canvas.

Abstract Painting #194, 20″ x 20″ acrylic on canvas

Pastel Colors Feature in New Abstract Painting

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

Now that spring is galloping forward here in Ithaca, pastel colors have caught my eye and my heart.

I began this painting by covering the whole canvas in titanium white first, laying it on thick enough so that it would blend with the colors I added to it. Then I used small amounts of bright colors: yellow, magenta, vivid red orange, pthalo green, and some blues.

With a brush, I blended the bright colors with the white, letting my brush make playful swirls across the canvas.

Next I put back more white by drawing lines with the white paint and then brushing over them. Once I got the colors and movement working, I added more white lines here and there.

This painting ended up very different from what I usually paint, but I think I like it!

Abstract Painting #192, 20″ x 20″ acrylic on canvas.

Working on A New Abstract Painting

Posted on May 2, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

After spending a week in Florida with my sister, I was happy to get back into my studio to work on a new abstract painting. I started out using a brush on this one, beginning with cadmium red medium, vivid red orange, and cadmium red deep.

Next I filled in the background with platinum, blending it at the edges of the reds and orange. Then I took a contrasting color, pthalo green, and applied it against the reds.

At this point I wanted to get more light into the painting, which I did by adding titanium white, blending it with the platinum.

I put my brush in the water jar (you can’t leave brushes with acrylic paint on them drying out because it will ruin the brush) and took out my palette knife. I used it to add a few strong strokes of each color–the reds, white and platinum.

My final step was to draw a few lines in the dark green to emphasize shape and move the eye across the canvas.

Now I’ll let the painting dry and see what I think of it tomorrow.

Abstract Painting #191, 20″ x 20″ acrylic on canvas

Toning Down a Red White and Yellow Painting

Posted on April 30, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

After letting the red white and yellow painting sit for a while, I decided I wasn’t quite happy with it. For one thing, the intense yellow was too bright.

The first thing I did was to mix white with the yellow to make a paler shade. I used a brush to cover up most of the intense yellow.

Next, I toned down the bright cadmium red by adding alizarin crimson. I also toned down the bright white by painting over some of it with parchment.

At that point, I wanted stronger contrast and emphasis. I brushed on some mars black, especially in the lower part of the canvas. Then I drew some sketchy black lines, softening them with a clean brush.

The painting feels stronger to me now. I’ll see what I think of it after I let it sit for a while.

Abstract Painting #185, 24″ x 24″ acrylic on canvas.

Creating a Floral Effect with My Scribbling Aesthetic

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

I talked about a failed attempt at my scribbling aesthetic in my previous blog, but this time I had a little more success in creating a floral effect with colored calligraphy markers.

I began with the lighter colors first–pale peach, rose, beige and light green. But rather than drawing flower petals in a realistic fashion, I assembled marks in abstract petal and leaf forms.

I kept adding more scribbled colors–red, yellow, plumb, lavender, lime–working in an overall manner. In my mind, I thought “bouquet of flowers,” but my scribbles did not lead directly to that result.

I made my final marks with fine-tipped pens in red and black. The result is not exactly as I would have liked, but it was time to stop before descending into chaos.

2013 Abstract Drawing #14, 11.5″ x 9″ acid free inks on archival paper.

My Scribbling Aesthetic

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

A local art reviewer once referred to my “scribbling aesthetic,” and that phrase struck me as a revelation. I love art that is assembled from “scribbles.”

Another local artist who uses this technique is Doug Baird, a member of our Greater Ithaca Art Trail. He combines drawing, photography and digital enhancement to create wonderfully layered images.

As with any artistic technique, scribbling can produce amazing results, or not. I’ve been using it to create some abstract drawings this week, but with mixed results. It always takes me a while, when I switch from one medium to another, to get back into it.

2013 Abstract Drawing #13, 11.5″ x 9″ acid free inks on archival paper.

I was hoping to get the effect of nature gone wild–bushes, trees, other plants, but in a loose, abstract way. Unfortunately, the thick lines I created with the large nib of a calligraphy pen did not work with the finer lines I drew later.

But this is what my art is all about–making a mark and seeing what happens. Sometimes one mark leads to the next to produce a stimulating visual image. Sometimes not.

Creating Ink Drawings with Calligraphy Markers

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

As a break from painting, I’ve been making some abstract ink drawings with Zigg Memory Calligraphy markers, which have a fat nib on one end and a narrow nib on the other. They offer a lot of flexibility in terms of the width of line and control over detail.

I have a set of 48 colors, so they are fun to work with, though sometimes I get carried away. I think I might have used a bit more restraint in color selection in the drawing shown below.

I began with several shades of blue, teal and light green, which all worked well together. But then I added a too-bright yellow which I tried to correct by covering most of it over with orange. The effect is a bit garish, but I plodded on, adding more lines in red.

In a painting you can fix almost anything because you can completely cover over one color with another once the paint is dry. But in a drawing you don’t have that option. I tried to push through by holding everything together with some black lines, but it didn’t quite work.

And here is the result.

2013 Abstract Drawing #12, 11.5″ x 9″ acid-free inks on archival paper.

Back to Work on Red, White and Yellow Painting

Posted on April 16, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

I liked the way this red, white and yellow painting came out the first time I worked on it, but my next painting session did not go well.

I began by adding more swaths of titanium white with a palette knife. By doing that, I covered over most of the platinum, which had added a nice variation in the original.

Next I added more alizarin crimson to the lower third of the canvas, pushing it up into the pyrole red. Since the red was now mostly wiped out, I added more of that. And then I filled in more of the background yellow.

As I made these changes, the painting seemed to get worse, not better. In desperation, I drew lines with Prussian blue in an attempt to give the overall composition some strength and direction.

But after all that, I still like the original better. Neither one, however, is ready for my signature. And since the original is painted over, that one is gone forever. Such is the nature of painting–you can’t keep all the drafts like you might with a book manuscript.

Abstract Painting #185, 24″ x 24″ acrylic on canvas

Focus on Blue in Abstract Expressionist Painting

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Lynne Taetzsch

Maybe it’s my bipolar nature, but after I’ve done something one way for a while, I always want to switch to something different. I’ve been painting with a palette knife for several weeks, and now I am happy to go back to using a brush.

I’m also enjoying working in an abstract expressionist style, where the painting process is loose and spontaneous. In this new painting, I began with shades of blue, with the darker colors in the bottom third of the canvas.

I added some pthalo green and vivid red-orange to liven up the blues. Then I filled in the background with white and parchment, blending them with the other colors.

At that point I played with it a bit, adding back in more deeper blues. I was careful not to over paint, though, which could lead to a muddy mess.

My final step was to add a few sketchy lines in pthalo green.

Abstract Expressionist Painting #189, 24″ x 24″ acrylic on canvas.

Abstract Art Blog

Painting and drawing abstract art.