Tag Archives: abstract

Urban Patterns 5

This acrylic painting is 5th in the Urban Patterns series, which is inspired by shapes and geometric forms in urban environments. In this painting, I used a palette knife and paint scrapers to create some of the lines and edges. 12 x 12 inches.

Just sold! But you can still pick up a canvas or metal print.

Urban Patterns 5

Journey Inward

This painting was very much the result of a “go with the flow” process. By that, I mean that I had no intention at the beginning other than to put down different colors, see how they combine with each other, and use the brush and a palette knife to add shapes. The idea of a journey inward highlights the intuitive nature of the process. Just let it happen and try not to get your thoughts get in the way.

This piece is 12 by 12 inches; acrylic on canvas.

Original and prints available.

Journey Inward

Hope 1

This painting is something new for me as it gets away from the geometric shapes I have been painting lately and their suggestion of urban forms. It is all about bright, swirly, vibrant colors without a clear reference to anything tangible except perhaps billowing clouds. As such, I think it evokes feelings of joy and optimism. This is the first of a series. 11 x 14 inches, acrylic on canvas.

Original goes for $150 here. Prints also available.

Hope 1, 11 x 14 inches on canvas

Urban Patterns 4

Fourth in the series, this painting uses a much more saturated color palette. In all of these paintings there is a very intuitive process where I start with one color and some shapes and then add others. Despite a lot of light color, this one suggests to me a city at night. Acrylic on a 11 x 14 inch canvas.

This one goes for $140 plus shipping.  Order here.  See print options here.

Urban Patterns 4

 

Urban Patterns 2

This is the second painting in the urban patterns series. It is very different from the first, but still has the suggestive geometric shapes of urban forms. This acrylic painting is on a 11 by 14 inch canvas and is priced at $140 plus shipping and handling. You can buy it here. Metal, canvas, and paper prints can also be acquired at this link.

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Urban Interiors

In creating this painting, I did not set out with an idea in mind. Rather certain forms with vertical and horizontal lines and boundaries took shape, largely at the beginning. I believe these shapes come from memories I have of small urban spaces: narrow streets and alleys–perhaps from Cairo Egypt. The textures, colors, and imprecise forms suggest old structures that have faded or been worn down over time. But this is just my interpretation. It is very abstract and therefore open to the viewer’s own experience. What do you see?

Acrylic, 11 x 14 inches. The original goes for $140 plus postage and handling. For prints, check out my Fine Art America page

 

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Altered Vision 2

This image is a variation on the theme in Altered Vision. Again, the focus is on geometric shapes that suggest urban structures as well as more purely abstract forms. As in the first piece, there are many overlapping shapes and colors. Interestingly, this painting started out in a “different place” from its predecessor, but as I worked on both of them together, they converged, ending up with many similar characteristics and a unified look.

Interested in a print?

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Altered Vision

It has been a while since I have posted any images. For the past 3 months or so, I have been doing more sketching than normal, trying to go for at least a half an hour a day. But I have also been working on my abstract acrylic painting. In particular, I have been experimenting with layers and glazing to create more subtle effects. At the same time, I have been continuing my examination of partial geometric forms. It is always interesting to speculate about the origins of one’s interest in one subject matter or another–particularly when it is abstract.

I am sure that much of it can be traced directly to my interest in urban structures and landscapes, both here in the United States, but also in Middle East, particularly Egypt where I live for two years and was quite taken by the urban forms in Cairo. But I think there may be another source. Earlier today I was resting quietly with my eyes closed and I noticed that I was “seeing” vague geometric forms, surprisingly close to the images I have been sketching and painting for some time.

Where those images come from that one “sees” on the inside of one’s eyelids is an interesting mystery. I suppose that perhaps they come directly from one’s subconscious and perhaps they are constructed from the images one is frequently seeing or drawing. It seems to also raise a chicken and egg question: does one draw the images that appear in one’s subconscious or do those images come from one’s drawing? It’s a question perhaps best answered by a neurologist or psychologist, but for now, it’s a fascinating area of inquiry. I’m therefore calling this image “Altered Visions.”

Metal and canvas prints available in various sizes here.

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