Swimming in the Deep End

Swimming in the Deep End
24" x 36" - acrylic on canvas - $400

I have recently taken a major plunge into the deep and scary depths of abstract (non-objective/no subject matter) painting. Over the last year I have stuck my toe into this vast sea with varied results and levels of satisfaction. Those works were on small canvases and larger pieces of paper. I knew that I needed to scale up and work on larger canvases and that was going to require a different level of commitment and bravery. There seemed no other way to get into this water, and so I 'jumped in'.  

This painting is the first larger work that began with some square shapes and a limited palette that I was determined to adhere to. Below are some progress shots that tell the story of how the painting evolved. 

NOTE: The discrepancy between the colour cast of the blues in these photos (warm/teal/turquoise vs cool/cobalt/ultramarine) is due to the effect of different lighting at the time the photo was taken. The final painting is warmer in hue (i.e more 'turquoise') than the photo at the top of the post suggests.

at this stage I was thinking of making some larger colour/shape changes and added coloured papers to the canvas to see how they might look.

and at this point I began to add some circular shapes, lots of them.

I am really happy with how this one turned out and really enjoyed the challenge. I don't intend to give up painting 'abstracted landscapes', but I will continue to pursue this for awhile.