Part 3: Abstract Illustration

I liked this exercise! It was fun listening to a piece of music to create an abstract drawing.  The music I chose to listen to was a George Gershwin compilation. The image I made (whilst listening to this music) is below:

To produce this drawing I used watercolour sticks and pulled the ink out into a wash using a brush.  I then applied coloured ink washes to deepen and enhance the colours in different areas.  I chose watercolour and coloured ink because I felt that this would (somehow) suit the 1930s style/mood of the music.

What adjective or word describes the the tone of the piece?  

This is a fascinating question because it is entirely subjective, and will probably be skewed on the state of mind of the viewer at the given point of reflection.  Perhaps the interpretation and feelings invoked from abstract art are always transient depending on the current mood/state of mind of the viewer?  For instance, a short while ago I looked at the image and thought "confused" would be a good summary word.  Whilst writing this now, I've been having a cup of tea and thinking pleasant thoughts, and now it seems more appropriate that "optimism" is the summary word.  I'm going with the positive feeling; I'm sticking with "optimism"!

OPTIMISM

I looked across the image with the word in mind and I cropped close to an area which I felt was particularly representative of the mood of optimism.  I focused in on the area below because it reminded me of a rainbow (and rainbows are always pleasant and optimistic in association).  Also the upward sweep of bright colours looked rather cheery:

I was extremely surprised with the cropped image (above).  Because the original sketch was quite high resolution this small crop still has quite a lot of pixel detail.  The intricate detail and marks aren't that noticeable in the original, but in this zoomed in sketch.. Wow!  Something entirely different appears as if from nothing.  The streaks and plumes of pigment are now fascinating to me.  

I'm feeling pretty confident I want to take this forward as a painting.  Probably acrylics with other media to enhance form and colour.

GEORGE GERSHWIN - OPTIMISM - the painting...

I think that George Gershwin's music is generally optimistic and upbeat in feel. It is music that generally says, "yes, let's be happy."  However, the more I listened to the music, there more I noticed the complexity of the moods in his piano composition.   Based on the clipping shown above, here is the painting that I produced:

I love painting abstract artwork. So this part of the exercise was very much my kind of thing.  I generally have a particular workflow when creating abstracted work, and this piece was no different:

1.  Sketch in a skeleton structure of marks - in pencil - on the canvas.  

2.  Paint most of the piece in acrylics.  I tend to be quite experimental with my colour palette, and I let the colours "wash through my mind".  I will start off with ideas for colours in certain areas, but and I will adapt and pick on things that attract my attention as I work.  I will always be aiming for bright and dramatic colour statements.  

3. Once dried... pick out detail and blends using colour pencils.  And also develop the boldness of certain blocks of colour using oil pastels.  

I always get lost in colour when creating abstracts, and this was no exception.  Throughout painting I was listening to George Gershwin and letting the music guide me and sweep me along.  I had in mind "optimism" and tried my best to incorporate that into the mood and feel of the piece.  However, I think the final painting is a lot more "moody" than mere optimism; representing the mixed emotions and sweeps of the music I was listening to.  

Illustrating a CD release?

The exercise asks the question, "Do you think your image would work as an illustration for a cover

of a CD for the music you listened to?   Below is a mock-up:

I've looked at a lot of George Gershwin CD covers on an Internet image search, and they all tend to be rather staid; typically showing either a photo of George or images of New York buildings.  To use an abstract illustration for a George Gershwin CD would be a bold and stand-out move for a record company.  

I think that my illustration could work as a commercial illustration; the CD cover would be eye-catching and be a little more contemporary in execution.   The CD cover could also be alluding to the art movement of the time - with Abstract Expressionist painting starting to develop in the 1930s, and then blossoming in the 1940s.

Further exploration

After completing this exercise I felt inspired to paint another canvas.  A bigger canvas this time (60cm x 60cm):

This time I went direct to the canvas whilst listening to music.  The music was classical this time - a Mozart compilation.  It seemed particularly autumnal in mood, and as I daubed colour; the shapes of leaves and colours of autumn started to come through.  After the first sitting, I then enhanced that autumnal feel with fine detail work and sweeps of oil pastel.  

It has felt good to get back into purely abstract work.  My mind seems to flash with intense sweeps of colour when creating abstracts.