Abstract and Modern Art Paintings Blog

How I paint Abstract Art (Part One)

Posted by Swarez on February 22, 2010  |  No Comments

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I’m often asked how I paint what I paint. What I mean by that is what kind of twisted bizarre things are there in my head to make me want to consciously paint some of the things I do. I don’t find the process of painting abstract difficult, ideas happen randomly, sometimes planned, sometimes not. The root of the form lies with the ability to see something in your head, either as a whole or in parts. Sometimes I only see bits at a time so I work on those. Normally I am driven by shapes and colours and how they interact with each other to make new forms. No matter what artists tell you every abstract is an experiment. Why? Ask an artist if they are ever happy with any of their works or whether they have re-painted a piece because it wasn’t right. The reason is because it doesn’t work. And if it doesn’t work then it’s gone wrong – experiments go wrong.

Next time, take your hat

Posted by Swarez on February 15, 2010  |  1 Comment

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We all know that you can’t go anywhere these days without being watched by someone or something. We have become used to being recorded, taped and screened. All this technology is fine until humans get involved. This, I’m sad to say, is where the chaos begins – as I have just found out on what should have been an innocent trip to the local supermarket.

Now for a baldy like me the winter poses grave dangers in the ‘Jesus my freekin’ head is cold’ department which often requires extensive use of a hat. On this occasion though I felt man enough to go without, after all, it’s only a two minute walk to the local shop for heavens sake. Unfortunately my senseless bravado was stripped from me after about thirty seconds, resulting in a chilly bonce.

Chaos Controlled – An artists guide to drip painting

Posted by Swarez on February 13, 2010  |  1 Comment

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It’s impossible, when talking about the techniques of drip or controlled pour painting, not to mention the influence of Jackson Pollock on the genre. His work is as controversial now as it was fifty years ago, yet whilst much is talked of the man and his paintings seldom is written about the actual process and techniques of drip painting or what an artist thinks about whilst he or she is engaged in their work. I will try and give you an insight into the technique from my own perspective, which is in no way linked to or copied from anyone else’s style or work.

How it all gets started

I lay a blank piece of canvas on the floor. At this point I know what colours I am using and the basic structure of what I want to produce. I can see very clearly what the finished article will look like. Right down to the sizes of the strokes, depth of colour, how many layers it will be composed of, how I’m going to thin the paints and in what order I will start. I spend a long time mixing colours and even longer on the thinning process, using a number of different thinning agents and in different ratios of paint to thinners. This affects how the painting will look when it dries.

The Funniest Joke in the World

Posted by Swarez on February 7, 2010  |  No Comments

Now I may be biased but I first heard this joke a number if years ago and have remembered it ever since. Partly for the way that the radio station presenter tells it and partly because it’s so damn funny. I’m sure it did the rounds through email many years ago but classics like this never age – and if you’ve never heard it before I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do. Click the post heading to see the joke.

Bish Bash Bosh! No easels for me

Posted by Swarez on February 5, 2010  |  3 Comments

I don’t always paint on the floor although, as you can see from the picture above, it’s the only way to get big paintings done. There’s something very basic and pure about laying out a piece of canvas out in front of you. A blank space to create – there’s nothing like it. Mind you, I always find it daunting when I arrive at this point, even when I know what I want to paint. I’m always wary of what I’m going to produce. Ironically things seldom turn out the way I plan it in my head. I’m always surprised by the direction the painting takes me – almost unconsciously steering me in odd directions. Click the heading to read more…

The Great Modern Art Paradox

Posted by Swarez on February 3, 2010  |  2 Comments

You don’t have to understand or appreciate modern art to recognise the most shocking thing about it these days – there is no shock anymore. What was once the bastion of originality and pretentiousness has become mainstream and conservative and, despite more and more media attention for the genre, these days the controversy surrounding artists has all but gone forever. To me, the groundbreaking times we have enjoyed have gone. Not even the sight of Grayson Perry in a dress raises eyebrows anymore.

Call Centre Chaos and the Phones from Hell

Posted by Swarez on February 2, 2010  |  2 Comments

As if life isn’t short enough we seem to have accepted life with menu-based phone systems as the norm. You know, the kind of thing that presents you with a series of options, press one for death, two for hell etc… Where did the real people go to? If I have to spend another minute listening to bloody Greensleeves I fear that my brain will turn to shit and start pouring through my eyeballs.