An Abstract Project – Kind of Blue – One

Entering into the home stretch of the semester, our painting teacher launched a new direction challenge… Astractions! I’ve done many abstracts over the past thirty or so years or so and felt I’ve done enough… especially since enjoying the portraits and figure painting much more this past few months, but I like a challenge, so…

I started with some research on the ‘inter-web thingy’ and found way too much (as usual…) I needed to chill out and let the muses speak to me, so I calmed my mind and heard the voices tell me to listen to Kind of Blue by Miles Davis (which happens to be my favourite Jazz recording).

As I allowed the notes, played and unplayed, weave their magic, I found a desire to paint something… BLUE. It’s an abstract, so I usually don’t paint them with intention. This time felt a little different. This time music was guiding me. This time I needed to use the new brushstrokes I’d learned while painting portraits. So I cranked the music louder, found a small mixing bowl to pour paint into, got a thick brush, and listened for directions on where to put the paint-filled brush. It told me to paint between the colours, to paint dark on light, to let the blue paints gyrate and sway to the music between the notes. Then it told me to stop and let the sweat cool down the abstracted figures in the work, because new dancers would be coming soon. So, I’m letting it dry before the next song begins and presents its new moves to my canvas.

Stay tuned…