The Origin of My Abstract Octopuses

In the summer of 2020, I had just finished a day full of Zoom calls, and, being an introvert, I was completely drained. That evening, I couldn’t even sit in the living room with my husband; it was too much for me.

So I thought about what fills me up and recharges me. I took my iPad and iPen, went outside to my beautiful garden, and accessed one of my favorite apps, Procreate, for about an hour, as the foggy evening got chillier and chillier. Being outside, with nature surrounding me and the creative output flowing through me, was just what I needed.

Playing around

As I was creating the abstract paintings pictured above on my iPad, I realized that it was so freeing to just do whatever I wanted to do, as opposed to creating something very realistic and specific. When I was growing up, I was attracted to realism and fantasy art, and I always wanted to create accurate pieces depicting people, places, or things. I had what I now call the “accurate police” in my head, threatening to come along at any moment and compare my work to the resource photos!

Now, inspired by the idea of not following the rules, I thought I would try painting an octopus that isn’t an octopus. Just parts of the octopus, like the suckers, wherever I want to put them in the drawing. I loved the result! As I painted each piece, I thought about ideas for the next one. You can see how they evolved through the first nine purple and yellow abstracts, pictured in order.

Abstract Octopus #01

Abstract Octopus #03

Abstract Octopus #02

Abstract Octopus #04

Seeing them in person and studying how the paint mixed and dried on the paper is very interesting to me. There are some absolutely beautiful moments from painting to painting. I could look at them for hours, admiring what the paint did and what I did. (As I’ve said before, I see beauty in everything!) I plan to keep experimenting, to create even more of them, in different sizes and different colors. There’s so much more to explore!

Detail from Abstract Octopus #06

To explain my technique: I draw the rough shapes with markers. Then I quickly apply a layer of water, and next, the trickiest part, covering everything before it all dries. After the first layer dries, I assess my initial result and determine what I want to emphasize, change, or downplay. I then choose whether to use more markers or actual watercolor paint. After I’ve made enhancements with the paints, I touch up various areas of the painting with pastels, and voila!

Do you like these abstract octopuses, or do you prefer the entire octopus?

Abstract Octopus #05