This week, we're digging into the subject of abstract and non-objective art. We consider the different types of abstraction, from its beginnings with Hilda F. Klimt through the abstract expressionists and their focus on emotion, all the way to the more conceptual modern day abstraction. We also consider where to draw the line between art and simply making marks, and we share our own experiences with abstraction. Finally, we offer suggestions for those artists interested in abstraction, but unsure how to go about it, including the importance of identifying your 'why.' We explain why having an idea behind the work will sustain you when things get challenging and how it helps you make decisions, strengthens your desire to keep working, and protects you against ill-informed criticism. This feels like a topic we need to come back to again and again, because there is so much to discuss. But we hope this first conversation sparks some ideas or spurs a discussion.

Mentioned:

Join the free Art2Life workshop HERE. (started February 15th but you can still join)

Vitamin D:New Perspectives in Drawing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vitamin-New-Perspectives-Drawing-Themes/dp/0714845450

Ways of Drawing: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ways-Drawing-Royal-School/dp/0500021902/

Anna Sigmond Gudmundsdottir https://www.gudmundsdottir.com/

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www.alicesheridan.com 

www.louisefletcherart.com

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"Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License