Abstract Animation Work in Progress

Have you ever wanted to see an abstract animation of a painting as it develops? I thought you might want to see a few of the steps it took to create “The Cliffs.” This painting is going to a new home next week, as it sold during Portland Open Studios. The final step in its transformation was mounting it to a wood panel and sealing with a Cold Wax finish for display.

The most important part of the process is the inspiration. Before beginning, I took some time to think about my subject. I’ve done some plein air painting at this location, but for this work, I wanted a more expressive, abstract painting. I recalled memories made in this location, and settled on a happy, mood of warmth and excitement for the piece. I wanted a feeling of jumping off the cliff with abandon and excitement into a cool, refreshing river below.

You can see from the steps below that I began with a value sketch, and then glazed my paper with multiple layers of Quinacridone Gold, adding texture by misting the wet paint with water and lifting off the wet droplets along with the paint. I drew my design onto the rich surface with a magenta caran d’ache crayon.

Next I started adding a few cooler colors, violet, ultramarine blue and sage green. Then it was back to the warm side of the spectrum with a rich brown color. During the layering process, I attempted to keep the gestural movement of my initial marks intact. I highlighted them by adding a lighter yellow around the semi-circular curve in the upper right, and repeating that shape below.

I also continued to build up texture throughout the painting, using small circular mark-making to suggest the glimmer of light on water, or splashes. My hope is that this abstract work is suggestive without being too literal. Adding a few dark shapes and lines near the end of the painting process brought the whole work together. If you’re looking for more inspiration, check out my workshops page. I have weekly classes listed as well as a fun 3-day session in January. Join me!

As Thanksgiving approaches this week, I’m very thankful for technology. I love being able to present my work to a wide audience; and technology makes it easy to create a professional display. I’m also thankful for you, my blog readers! If  not for you, I wouldn’t have a reason to create new blog posts. What do you think of my animated abstraction process? Leave me a comment!