Part One: Taking an abstract art class

I was visiting my sister-in-law, and she mentioned that she wanted us to make some artwork together. We looked for inspiration on Pinterest and decided to do some abstract art. Up to this point in my art career, I hadn’t done a lot of abstract art, and I really enjoyed what we did together.

When I got home from my visit, I decided to continue experimenting with abstract ideas. I had a new enthusiasm about making new pieces and trying new things. I’ve always been fascinated with colors, textures, and the way watercolor paints dry.

After creating a collection of abstract art pieces, I asked an experienced abstract artist for some honest feedback. She reminded me that the viewer’s eye needs a place to rest within a piece, and she mentioned a workshop I might like. I thought it would be great to take a class and get more instruction and advice on how to create abstract art. Not that there is a right or wrong way to create artwork, but there are definitely guidelines to follow that can be very helpful, things to learn before you go breaking the rules and trying things on your own 😉

I looked for an abstract painting class online and found one for $50, consisting of six lessons. I signed up.

The instructor started by teaching us how to make marks on small sketches with charcoal and pencil, and then she moved on to small color mock-ups with watercolor. Next, we recreated one of the mock-ups on canvas.

My first attempt at making an abstract piece from one of my sketches did not turn out that great. I thought it was pretty lame:

I knew I needed to add more to the painting. I was finally ready to do that, and it was towards the end of the day. My husband, Steve and I needed to walk the dogs, so I wanted to get that done and then come home and paint.

Steve wasn’t ready to walk the dogs even after a full hour had gone by, and I was miffed. I took the dogs upstairs in a huff and decided that I was going to go back downstairs and paint, dammit!!

I went into the painting angry; I was unhappy with the start of this painting, and having to wait for my husband. I began going over the painting with black paint, which is very unusual for me. It felt good, so I just went with it.

The abstract morphed into something quite beautiful. It has a bit of a garden feel, with streams of light coming through. It made me think of my mom and gardening and bright, beautiful days, even though the painting is dark and black. I think I see hope in this one! I’m actually quite pleased with it.

What do you think of how it turned out?

No title yet, acrylic, 22×28