How Do I Start Painting Or Drawing Abstracts?

Many members who joined my new Facebook group The Art of Mark Making in Abstract Art ask how they might learn how to transition from painting or drawing realistically to creating non-objective work (abstracts). One of the best ways to channel your inner Abstract artist is to roll out a giant piece of  white paper (like the kind restaurants use to cover tables).Then gather all your mark making products such as pencils, pastels, markers, crayons, chalk, charcoal etc. Add a few jars or tubes of acrylic paint with some brushes to your materials stash. Next put on some peppy music. Pin your paper to a wall covered with newspaper or plastic or lay on a protected table. Now...just start scribbling and drawing and making marks like you did in Kindergarten when your inner critic was not yet fully formed. Cover the entire piece of paper with dry media followed by paint. Let the paint dry and add more marks on top of paint. Build many layers. Stand back and look at your work. Keep playing until you start seeing forms, shapes, patterns etc. Ask your self what does it need and continue to edit accordingly. And that is how you start painting Abstracts!  Working large lets you work more spontaneously and will help you leave your more realistic side behind. 

Lake Teedyuskung: Finding Inspiration and Solace

When this gorgeous photo of Lake Teedyuskung at Woodloch Pines's appeared on my Facebook News feed recently, I was pulled into the picture and dazzled by the absolute calm and beauty of this gift of nature.  While the political world around me is filled with static and unwanted noise, looking at this photograph is a place to find peace and quiet. Spending decades vacationing at this popular resort, I have painted or sketched this lake scene over and over in all seasons.  But this photograph by a gifted photographer unknown to me, taken on this winter day, reminded me that I can always find inspiration and solace in my art and in nature. The photo was also a reminder  to me that I must work hard to protect that which is cherished, taken for granted or compromised.

The Art of Mark Making in Abstract Art: New Facebook Group Created

It seemed to me that there needed to be a hub for obsessive and casual mark makers who enjoy adding wonderful lines, symbols, strokes, movement to their work. With that in mind, I started a new Facebook Group called "The Art of Mark Making in Abstract Art".  Response to establishing  this group has been very exciting ! Artists from all over the world are joining this lively group. To add a wide range of mark makers to the group, I have been scouting my other FB groups and inviting artists to join and spread the word.  While, I know that a lot of "doodlers" are also Mark makers, causal doodlers were not my prime audience.    my My goal is to bring together Fine Artists who work in as variety of media such as paint, pastels, crayons, ink, Watercolor, digital etc. The art exercise shown is one of my Midcentury inspired Watercolor and ink quickie pieces done on the beach during the summer on a Strathmore Bristol board "Visual Journal".      

Making Your Mark in Contemporary Art: New Fall Class West Hartford Art League

Scribbling seems so easy when you are a toddler and you just let yourself draw freely without any conscious thoughts about what you are doing. Fast forward to being an adult and all of a sudden you can't move your hand without overthinking your modus operandi. Am I making lines too soft, too long, too dark, too crooked? You get the drill, mark making becomes tedious instead of relaxed and free. Don't get me wrong, sometimes you want a very careful deliberate line or mark, but more often than not for abstract artists, making marks is a very spontaneous process. So with this concept in mind, I have developed my newest art class  "MAKING YOUR MARK IN CONTEMPORARY ART"  which will run at The West Hartford Art League this Fall on Wednesday afternoons. Here is the link for more information http://www.cdiannezweig.com/workshops/