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| revised |
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| original |
Once a month I meet with the members of Portland Women in Abstract Media group for critique and art conversation. I love the energy of the group and their willingness to question, experiment, and explore.
I brought in the "original" painting you see above. The group had me turn it in every possible orientation to "see what happens." All of their feedback was helpful. All were distracted by the purple "pyramids" and some of the other shapes. I think what helped me most of all was standing back and looking objectively at the painting. It looked pale and uncertain. You know what? It looked just like I felt about painting it.
I often feel like I am stepping off the dock of representational work into the boat of abstraction. I have one foot on the dock and one foot on the boat and feel stuck and in danger of falling in the water!
When I came home I was eager to re-work this piece with my new ideas. I added gesso and acrylic pastel ground in places and let things dry. Then I started to really explore the shapes and colors of late afternoon sunlight, water, sails, shapes, texture, and ambiguity.
I am much happier with the revised painting. And grateful for the opportunity to participate in critique.
I would love to hear about your critique group experiences.
