Passionate About Pattern
Over the past few years, I’ve noticed the huge rise in the amount and types of abstract “fluid art” being created. Understandably so!
I too LOOOVE how the results not only capture the “wildness” of nature in the randomness of each pour, but the techniques are somewhat hypnotizing/soothing to watch. (Not enough for me to actually go out and purchase all the supplies and try it for myself… YET… but still.) The thing is, if you watch enough of these pouring videos on Instagram, the algorithm starts directing you to even more amazing artists. 😉 Which is how I came across some new inspirations that I’d like to share with you.
First, meet Linda Kofoed, creator of MimanoArt.
Linda’s Instagram feed is chock full of “colorful happy art”, which just happens to totally be my jam. 😉
After liking a whole bunch of her pieces, Instagram started showing me work from Lisa Concannon Art…
Lisa’s Instagram feed definitely contains a host of “magical paintings” – luscious florals, bejeweled animals, decorated hearts… again, totally my cuppa tea!
And finally, Instagram decided I should know about Tracy Verdugo…
While Tracy is a wonderful artist in and of herself, her goal is to also “spark your art”, which is easily achieved when you start drooling all over her delicious Instagram offerings…
Not to mention Tracy’s inspirational pieces…
Not only did these fantastic new artists remind me of some of my past art crushes – like Donna Heart, Flora Bowley, and Kelly Rae Roberts… but they inspired me to order my own set of Posca pens, dig out my watercolours, acrylics, and water-soluble pencils and crayons, and actually PAINT something of MY OWN (for the first time in YEARS)! Go, being brave!!!
First, I refamiliarized myself with the materials at hand and created four very different backgrounds (on small 8″x10″ canvases) using different tools, brushstrokes, media, etc. I tried to let go of my control issues and just have some fun with colour and movement – and even splattering. 😛 After these bases were good and dry, I decided to start embellishing my second favourite canvas – the pink one – reasoning that if I really screwed it up, I would still have my most favourite to work on.
I started experimenting with my new paint pens, playing with different shapes, patterns, and markings using three different sizes of white pen (to try and keep the piece somewhat monotone), while also adding a layer of transparent silver watercolour in some places…
Working from dark to light, the background somehow evolved into a page of pink floral shapes, which made me incredibly happy. 🙂 When it came time to add design to the lightest pink portions, however, I wasn’t sure whether or not I should. A quick FB poll was divided, so I decided to risk it and see what happened…
Big mistake! I felt like I had ruined the piece by over-complicating it…. and I spent the next hour trying to get it back to it’s previous state. Luckily, that’s something paint is great for. 😉 Lesson learned: listen to my gut when it says to stop!
With the mixed success of the first piece, I thought that maybe some more practice was in order before I tried my hand at my favourite, so I grabbed my third favourite background. For this one, the mix of bright colours just begged for even more bright pens!
I played with different shapes, layering, and pen combinations… Of course, when I tried to seal this one (with a paint-on product), the purple and one of the blue pens totally bled and smudged!!!
I tried to salvage what I could… but ultimately, I just want to chalk this one up to practice, paint over the whole thing, and try, try again. Failure just means that you are actually trying, right? C’est la vie.
Even though I was a little gun-shy by this point, I wasn’t feeling at all inspired by the non-galaxy background… so I decided to just pick up my favourite remaining canvas and go for it!
I started breaking up the piece into distinct parts based on the paint colours… outlined these parts with a dark pen… and then started playing with different patterns in each part, again using the three different white pens. I really like the result (mostly because of the colours, but also because it reminds me a bit of the quilted critters I used to create)!
Finally, my least favourite background was the only one left. I couldn’t see anything obvious that I wanted to “pattern up” on it… so I thought I’d try a different technique. I’m really not sure what it is called: over-painting, maybe? It’s where you create a design with a top layer, and your bottom layer becomes more decorative patterning that shows through – but only in some parts…
I chose three parts I thought could be the flower centers and started adding petals around them. Then I added stems that went downward toward the area where I thought I could create leaves. Then I took out some green paint and started covering up everything else!!! When that was all dry, I finally used my pens to add some details and definition… and some little purple dots to fill in the empty space at the bottom corner.
All in all, I am pretty happy with the way these turned out – especially since I haven’t done any real painting in well over a decade (getting close to two, now)!!! I am finding that the older I get, the less hung up I am about “letting go”. I have tried to take “abstract painting” classes on a couple of occasions, only to have them cancelled… so I’m kinda glad I am at the point in life where I can just “go for it” and see what happens.
I do think I need to invest in some good art paper instead of canvases, however: I only have so much wall space/storage left at this point. 😛 But I am SO excited to be playing with bold colours and fun patterns again! Woo-hoo!!! Yay for art! ♥ And a huge thanks to all of my artist crushes for paving the way to me finding my own artistic voice.
Anyhow. I hope you too feel brave enough to play with your own art supplies and just see what you come up with. Feel free to share your results with me if you do – I’d love to see what you’ve been up to! Happy creating, y’all!
