Section 1 - Finished Artwork
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Title: Enigmatic
Size: 1x1.5 ft
Date of Completion: 9/16/22
Ideas: To create a piece where it is a simple and serene view but interesting aspects which make people think it's very decorous and possibly elegant.
Materials: Oil Paint, Charcoal, Colored Pastel (Chalk), and Color Pencil
Processes: Oil Paint for base colors and eliminate space. Charcoal for clean edges on shapes and background space.
Section 2 - Planning & Practice
Before starting the abstract painting, everyone had to complete the elements and principle little booklet(?). I tried showing different elements and principles in a simple way; that I could comprehend and be able to wrap my brain around the concept. Due to this, I was able to show value, color, proportion, and space in my abstract painting.
I brainstormed some ideas on this page and originally I was going for a very beautiful and elegant aesthetic. I want lines to flow naturally all over the page. I didn't know what to add in the center at the time, hence why it is so empty. I was thinking maybe i could do something with nature and butterflies.
I'm planning on trying to make some realistic aspects, meaning 3D shapes just to show some depth and possible emphasis. The coloring was planned with blue and green like cool colors in oceans (for example).
But overall I want to create a peaceful, serene feeling while also some mystery surrounding the whole premise.
Section 3 - Experimentation
I had a lot of thought regarding the backgrounds for this art piece.
I first tried a light blue background with pastel chalk to use as a background. But I realized I wanted to color the shapes with clue and green, hence the colors for the shapes would mix too much with the background.
Then I decided to use black chalk to lightly create a dark background to have a contrast in colors. Originally, I liked how it looked in the beginning. But after a bit of time, it came as a realization that the contrast of the background wouldn't be strong enough. The light black background was too fuzzy and I wanted a cleaner and stronger edge.
The next thing I did was to cover the background with very dark green paint, thinking that it would cause a very large contrast between colors, and would satisfy having a cleaner edge. As soon as I covered the whole background with it, I realized how in this circumstance the paint and pastel chalk does not go well together. Although the shapes have a cleaner edge, the lines seem a bit too harsh, compared to the soft blended shapes.
I was recommended to use pastel chalk instead to harshen the lines less and fully make the background a solid color.
After I used black pastel chalk to cover the background again, I thought it solved the problem of having enough contrast between colors while not having the edges become too harsh upon the paper.
Section 4 - Process
Day 2:
I am mainly using the color blue (to have it easy on the eyes). And blue is known to be a usual calm color.
The reason why I added butterflies was that I view butterflies as very elegant and calming.
I also added the word "Relax", because I thought the blue and black would be able to cause a calm and relaxing effect.
I started getting ideas of having a blue background, so I blended the blue and black together, thinking it could create a soft background effect.
Day 4:
I had a change of heart about the background. I thought that the slight black coloring for the background wouldn't be enough, so I decided to use dark green paint to cover vast background areas.
But still, I'm starting to finalize some shapes and colors by using some black charcoal.
I'm also adding green because I think it would be interesting to mix the color green and blue rather than only using the blue color spectrum.
To be honest, I considered using orange to create a blue-orange opposite color effect. So the orange color would stand out forming a meaning behind it, but I decided to scrap that idea because I still wanted to follow the peaceful and elegant effect.
Day 6:
In the end, I decided to cover the background with black pastel chalk, and thankfully, it soften a bit and isn't too harsh on the eyes. It may not be noticeable, but I took the time to use charcoal to clean some edges of the shapes where I thought the edges were a bit too messy or rough.
I thought that the circle on the bottom was a bit too close to the cloud-like shape in the middle, so I wanted to give some sort of space between them. hence, I decided to make the circle a sphere that has been cut.
I also used black on some shapes to enhance the depth in shapes. I think it really makes it more interesting for people to see and was a good choice to do.
I remember originally I wanted to make a serene theme, but over time, I think I gradually changed to a mysterious aspect. The shapes for some reason remind me of outer space.
Day 1:
I originally had an idea to create a serene visual.
By following the instructions given, I decided that I would utilize round shapes (such as circles, hearts, butterflies, and ovals) and use expressive wavy/smooth lines to be able to travel across abstract art. Hence, there are barely any straight or harsh edges.
Day 3:
After looking through the art piece, I thought that there was not enough contrast. Hence I decided to use some black paint to see if it would look ok with the blue pastel chalk.
I also eliminated the areas where I was not proud of white paint. I eliminated the top right corner because I didn't like how the spotted circle didn't look well with the overall aesthetic. The reason why the bottom right corner is kind of eliminated I thought it was really messy and shouldn't be too complicated when my overall theme is a calm and relaxing scene.
Day 5:
I have fully covered the background with paint and colored in the shapes which I know would be in the final moment.
But I have received feedback on creating an emphasis and that the paint looks too harsh on the background, and that I should try to find a way to soften the effect.
But other than that, I colored in shapes with blue and green pastel chalks. I made sure that no area had only one type of color. What I mean is that not one side is too much blue or green. Basically, I tried balancing out the colors green and blue.
Still, it can be noticed that I'm trying to add in a bit of shading for shapes because I think showing depth would create an interesting illusion and can show contrast rather than having a 2D shape.
Section 5 - Artist Statement
I enjoyed the time creating my artwork with other people. It is really interesting how different all of our abstract art turned out even while following the same rules/instructions provided by the teacher. I was never a big fan of abstract art, but I did enjoy the process of creating this and how much I could explore and try out new things without anyone telling me what was wrong or right.
Even though I have worked with pastel chalks before, I still have little experienced working with them. I'm glad that I was able to use my previous skills to be able to blend and smooth out colors. Even though it was hard for colors not to smudge each other, I think I did my best to put it all together.
Even when my original intention was to create a serene scenery, I think it transitioned to a mysterious ominous feeling. I think because of those feelings my artwork kind of reminds me of outer space, and I do enjoy that perspective.
Overall, there isn't a concrete meaning behind this abstract art. But I want people to wonder about the reason behind the art. How it affects how they feel. I want them to question.
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