Nimmer - Creating abstract art : ideas and inspirations for passionate art-making

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LAME DEER

Robert Neuman

Mixed media on canvas

ALIEN ART CONNOISSEURS

Gary Hallgren

Ink on paper

Like the word art itself, abstract art cannot be clearly defined or categorized. I choose to go with the flow, make work and celebrate abstract art for its nonconformist place in the world of art. In other words, doing beats thinking about doing in this book. With certainty more artists than ever choose to work abstractly, as they see an endless supply of ideas and uncharted territory yet to explore.

I believe the continuing interest in abstract art lies in its ability to inspire our curiosity about the reaches of an artists creative subconscious.

My goal is to show you numerous pathways to looking at, thinking about and, most importantly, creating abstract art. To achieve that, youll use the most valuable asset for making evocative and meaningful abstract artwork: your innate curiosity.

Youll find a focus here on the power of abstract art to delve into the surreal realms of imagery swimming around in our heads. I want to help you find your own unique identity as an abstract artist by addressing the obstacles that limit your creativity.

I aim to inspire you to move beyond the myths and stereotypes that abound for abstract art in order to discover the myriad of possibilities for making inventive and original pictures without inhibition or fear of failure, all the while enjoying the creative process itself!

To that end, I will not give you step-by-step instructions on making a particular style of abstract painting or sculpture, nor will I give you a recipe for how to make something look abstract.

I want my experience from a forty-year career as an artist and art educator and nearly two hundred exhibitions of my abstract work in the United States and abroad to motivate and encourage you to get completely absorbed in creating abstract art yourself.

This book is organized much like my first publication, Art From Intuition, in that well be working with a base project description and series of exercises that start you out on a path, yet let you explore different directions to take. In other words, Ill give you an idea as a starting point and encourage you to follow your own instincts to see what evolves from there.

Thats why the artworks shown in this book illustrate very different outcomes from the individuals who began with the same set of guidelines. Youll find several excellent projects in this book that were first introduced in Art From Intuition but that have been expanded to focus on making abstract art.

You can think of this book as a kind of scavenger hunt where you find clues that direct you to something that excites your imagination. For those of you who are flea market fans like me, think about the fun you have finding something exceptional hidden among the ordinary cast-offs. Finding treasures in uncharted territory is the instinct Im hoping to bring out in you.

In essence, I want this book to be fun to read and easy to use without exhausting your attention span or your wallet. Ill keep the emphasis on making instead of thinking about making. In addition, most of the projects in this book can be created using low-tech, inexpensive materials.

Some basics to keep in mind:

• This book is not set up to read or work from in chronological order. You can choose any chapter or project that perks up your interest and begin making something without worrying that youve skipped ahead and missed something you should know first.
• The projects in the book should be approached as if you were sketching out an idea in a spontaneous way rather than putting the finishing touches on a painting. In other words, I want you to look for possibilities that you can develop further.
• Each project is accompanied by sample works made by students and practicing artists showing what each did with the same set of instructions. Again, these do not show what your piece should look like; rather, each one represents an individuals creative idea inspired by that particular project.
• Consider building specific categories of work that you may keep in separate folders or portfolios as you do the projects in the book. I recommend you have these for sketch projects you want to take further such as TBC (To Be Continued), where the sketch you made suggests a bigger scale, using different materials or simply a new idea that you want to pursue from this inspiration.

Your TBC portfolio can also provide you with useful parts that can be combined or collaged into new works.

The other portfolio Id keep is for those pieces you think you hate and youd just as soon tear up. The irony of the so-called Hate It! art you make is that you may change your mind once something is tucked away for a few weeks, plus there may be some treasures in this trash that you didnt see the first time around.

In addition, any pieces you feel came out great or finished as they are can go in a separate portfolio or be put on display as you choose.

• The materials I recommend using in this book are generally inexpensive and easy to come by, since I dont want you to dwell on the cost or preciousness of what youre making. You always have the option of substituting any materials of your choice for those Im recommending.
• Some of the projects in this book may seem to overlap or use the same ingredients to reach different conclusions. For example, a project in the basic elements section of that focuses on line may also have a similar series of steps that conclude with a focus on texture. There are important distinctions between line as the main character in one project and an emphasis on texture in another.
• Ive included the works and artist statements by fifty artists in this publication so you can consider the wide variety of ideas and approaches being practiced by abstract artists today. I hope you find their work and ideas to be an inspiration to delve into abstract art yourself.
• The projects offered in this book will not tell you the correct order of stages in a process to achieve a desired result. To the contrary, I want to get your creative juices flowing and see where your imagination takes you, and the desired result is one that cant be precisely pictured or described. In other words, you wont hear me say or imply that any composition you come up with should necessarily look anything like an artwork pictured in this book. And using this book to inspire your art-making simply works better if you embrace the fact that every project leads to choices and options that have any number of positive results.