Stewart - Abstract art painting : expressions in mixed media

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MATERIALS
Preparing to Paint

I would like to dedicate this book to my husband, Douglas Stewart, for his ongoing support and encouragement through the years. He has given me a lot of emotional support through the ups and downs with my life in art. He has a great sense of humor and we have both needed it on many occasions.

I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldnt say any other waythings I had no words for.

GEORGIA OKEEFFE

Early in my college years, I had a fascination with abstraction. After a college visit to the Art Institute of Chicago my instructor asked which work appealed to me the most? I replied it was a large black-and-white painting by Franz Kline. It was nothing like the way I drew or painted at that time. She then told me that most abstract artists know the fundamentals of drawing and that I needed to focus on that. I took her advice and devoted myself to working realistically.

I dedicated myself to drawing the human form. I loved life-drawing classes. I also drew and painted portraits of friends as well as many self-portraits. I became proficient at drawing, and many of the marks I made during those life-drawing classes come through in my work today.

My current journey into abstraction came later as the result of feeling stuck and frustrated. I knew that I could take a photograph and draw or paint what I saw. I wanted more and I wanted something different, but what? I began to do much soul-searching. Which artists did I like and why? What drew me to art that I liked? I found that abstract work had the biggest impression on me. I had tried many different mediums in my life from printmaking to oil painting and ceramics to drawing, pastel and acrylics. I loved drawing the most. I loved the act of making marks on paper because I enjoyed the tactile feel of drawing materials. I devoted myself to drawing and began exploring abstraction with drawing materials.

I began to cut up photos I had taken of plants and flowers, and I used them to draw small sections. I discovered that I could find abstraction within realism. I began to experiment, I read books and I attended my first workshop on intuitive drawing. Working abstractly was exciting and I no longer felt stuck. Possibilities began to open up to me. Pastel became my passion and I started to work with it exclusively. I ventured out, entered some competitions, and was excited and surprised that my work was accepted.

Abstraction helped me break out of my comfort zone. I have always believed that art helps us pave the way for changes in our lives; my art has done that for me. Abstraction for me is more than a technique. Abstraction is a state of mind.

In this book, Ill be sharing my personal process. I discovered many things through years of trial and error. I took what I learned from creating abstract pastels and applied it to my acrylic paintings.

Here you will learn how to cultivate your own ideas for abstract images. You will generate ideas using source materials like photographs and drawings. You will take these further by creating small color studies. You will explore the use of color theory in abstraction. You will realize that the elements of art are just as important in abstraction. You will learn to use underpainting to bring structure and depth to your work. You will learn how to use various mediums to bring texture to your work. You will begin to understand how to work in a series and how this can help in the development of your personal style.

This book will help you see that working abstractly does not have to be the mystery that so many think it is.

This chapter covers the materials well use the most throughout this book. I continually experiment with and combine materials. Underpainting with fluid acrylics led me to begin painting on canvas. I often use the materials listed here interchangeably. I draw on canvas with charcoal and hard pastels. I use acrylics as underpaintings for my pastels. My pastel paintings may have some materials from my acrylic paintings, but they are primarily pastel works. My acrylic paintings may have some traces of pastel markings, but they are, in the end, acrylic paintings.

With abstract art I can create in the moment. No preconceived ideas. I just put some color on the canvas and keep going.

PEGGY GUICHU

There are many varieties of soft pastels. Soft pastels are not the same as oil pastels. A soft pastel is pure pigment in stick form. If you are new to pastel, begin with a basic set of artist-quality pastels. Include a selection of earth tones and grays for neutral colors. As you become more experienced, you can upgrade to a higher-quality pastel. Some brands manufacture half-stick sets of pastels, which are a good way to begin collecting and experimenting with artist-grade pastels.

I do not recommend using soft pastels on canvas. They do not easily adhere to the surface of canvas. They will not have the same effect on canvas as on paper.

Soft pastels

Hard pastels come in square sticks, and you can use them in both pastel and mixed-media works on canvas. Hard pastels help you block in color on a pastel painting. You can also use them as an underpainting and dilute them with rubbing alcohol. You can also use hard pastels on the surface of a canvas to create lines. They come in a wide variety of colors. Start with a few sticks or a basic set.

Hard pastels

Charcoal comes in many different varieties. Vine charcoal is soft and creates light lines on both paper and canvas. It is useful for creating initial lines for a composition. You can easily wipe it away. Compressed charcoal sticks create heavier and darker marks on the surface. I prefer the heavier and darker mark making of compressed charcoal and use it for both pastel and acrylic paintings. Charcoal pencils create thin lines that you can use to begin a work or at the end to delineate marks on the surface of a work. I use charcoal in underpaintings, and it is seldom evident in a finished work.