Cathy McKelvey Artist

Playing with colour in my own little world distracts me from the politics of the moment. My thoughts are with my American friends and family. 12 x 12" acrylic on board #Art2Lifeacademy #connectedartist #hope #abstractart

These lovely fall colours will soon give way to the grays of November.

Long post alert! A couple of days ago, Mark Hamilton, Artist made a post explaining how abstraction works for him. It seemed like a good idea so, here goes. So why don’t I paint ‘things’ you can recognize? Realism, for me, gets in the way. I haven’t the patience (because I’m not interested) in rendering realistic images. To quote Rumi, There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen. There are images that don’t use representational forms. Look. (Feel.) When you look at a... realistic painting you immediately see things, a tree, a chair, a person. Psychologically, that's comforting. You immediately know ‘what it is’. When you look at an abstract painting, that's missing and for some people, that stops them from going further. But in abstraction, you're freed from the constraints of ‘things’. It is a bit of a leap to get past that need for something you recognize. If you can make the leap, it's rewarding. When you look at a painting, stop to look. How does it make you feel? Listen to your body. It's OK not to like it! (this is the same for any painting whether it's a realistic or an abstract one) For me, it’s about having the courage to leave the safety of the familiar. (representational objects) Stepping into the unknown and creating and responding to what happens in that space. Losing control. Allowing ‘mistakes’ to remain, or not. (Mistakes are the cracks that let in the light, the life.) There are techniques, materials, and tools to master and design, value, and colour to consider but the most difficult aspect is capturing that elusive spirit of the piece. Great paintings take on a life of their own as you work on them. They emerge. The subconscious, intuition educated with years of experience, leads you to complete them if you have the courage to follow. It’s hard to do and it’s a hell of a ride. Realist images just don’t have that juice for me. They can be more comfortable to look at but abstract images, if you take the time to really look, feel and experience them, are amazing. See more

I’ve been searching for my way forward. Looking at old work that I love. Looking for the common thread. Mixing it up. It can be disturbing when you make big changes but change is necessary to move forward.

Trying out some collage with wet-strength tissue paper. I may add some line work to this yet.