Abstract Art by Lauren Redcay https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3 Spontanious en-us 2018-03-12 15:18:49 UTC 2026-03-15 21:45:01 UTC hello@padlet.com Artist Inspiration redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/241388064 I wrote out two artists, one historical and one contemporary, that are famously known for their abstract expressionist pieces. In my sketchbook, I performed a formal analysis, explained the context of the piece I picked, gave my personal reaction, and compared the two artists/ paintings.]]> 2018-03-13 14:12:55 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/241388064 Day 1 Reflection redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/241393900 This is absolutely nothing like what I want my piece to look like, but I was messing around with different brush strokes in black and white with a matte medium. I already painted over what I had painted many times and I have absolutely no clue what I want my abstract portrait to look like.]]> 2018-03-13 14:21:06 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/241393900 Day 2 Reflection redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/241876859 I started to begin the form of the woman, using medium gloss and I decided to use a split-complementary color scheme. I'm using several shades of blue and will continue to add more emphasized brush strokes. I am not entirely sure what I will do for the background yet.I discovered I really enjoy balancing warm and cool colors together, and I'm having trouble deciding what to do next.]]> 2018-03-14 13:52:43 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/241876859 Day 3 Reflection redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/241933151 I took a risk today and just went for adding color on the background. I squeeged the yellow and red paints in an outward motion. It was extremely bright, which looked great, but I felt it blended in with the skin too much so I dulled it down with squeegees of silver and glossy medium. It looks a bit too dull for my taste (as shown in the picture), so I will probably go back through with another layer of the bright colors. I am proud of my development and I still need to work on unifying the piece.]]> 2018-03-14 15:17:12 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/241933151 Day 4 Reflection redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/243511602 Reflecting today before continuing working on my piece has helped me understand what colors I should use for the background. I used many colors of the same color scheme from red to yellow on the color wheel, creating a rhelm of oranges which match my split-complimentary theme. I tinted the background by adding white to a small amount of paint and I used a lot of toning by squeegeeing a layer of thin silver over the bright colors so that the body stood out more. I’m going to move forward and try to further abstract her face and create bodily dimensions in the same color scheme.]]> 2018-03-19 14:13:40 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/243511602 Day 4 Objective redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/243518297 The base layer appears to be a plain yellow. They taped over the underpainting and added layers overtop of the paint and continued this process, and they mimicked the outline of a body using different colors than the rest of the piece. I recognize Gustlin’s use of masking, and they used this with many layers and different but unified colors. The unification between the colors appears to be a somewhat spilt-complementary color scheme. This brings the piece together because it allows for the figure to stand out without looking messy and it is pleasing to the eye.]]> 2018-03-19 14:21:45 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/243518297 Day 5 Objective redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/244034218 Movement is being used in my piece by having the strokes in the background all going in the same direction in a repeated pattern of straight lines with texture. These lines draw emphasis to the woman in the middle because they all move towards her. The rhythm of the brushstrokes on her skin follow a similar tempo with a pleasing color scheme and techniques of the strokes. The contrast of the blue and the warm colors also add to the sense of unity in the piece, with a balance in the position of the figure on the background. To further unify the piece, I will use shadows and tints and saturations of orange and red and yellow (and the tertiary colors in between) to abstractly contour her face and still match the background. I will develop the rhythm by continuing to layer thick brushstrokes on her skin and I want the viewer to feel a sense of strong, lively emotions; a mix of sadness and happiness and freedom that comes with moving on.]]> 2018-03-20 14:21:58 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/244034218 Day 5 Reflection redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/244037514 The face looks a little wonky right now, but I was experimenting with thick paint layers and I will add much more to the piece. I really challenged myself by trying to mess around with the colors and not being afraid to mess up. I developed the unification by unifying the skin to the background without making it too similar. I’m still struggling a lot trying to figure out how to make her face lifelike without being too realistic, and Lauren said that I should mimick the colors without being exact.]]> 2018-03-20 14:26:27 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/244037514 Day 6 Reflection redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/247102651 I slowly began to incorporate the suggestion of allowing the paint to follow its nature. It helped me create a bottom layer of thick paint to begin to form the outline of her facial features. My composition could benefit from furthering using thick brushstrokes and allowing them to dry completely before adding more on, which will create a much more abstracted look. People agree with me and think I should add saturations and defined brushstrokes.]]> 2018-03-28 23:40:16 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/247102651 Day 7 Reflection redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/247103077 I added in saturated oranges to emphasize her facial features and layered the thick layers of face features in and contoured her face with different colors. I still need to go through with highlights and refining her hair.]]> 2018-03-28 23:43:47 UTC https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/247103077 FINAL redcay421 https://padlet.com/redcay421/u02bxx5lsyg3/wish/247104682 How did your use of color help to define your composition? I used a split-complementary theme with tints to bring out her hair and saturations in her face. The use of this variety in colors contrast against one another and create a more unified piece.
2.Express your thoughts on this documentation process? I really enjoy the thick layers of paint that can be observed when looking at the painting up close and her colors in her face. I dislike how big her hair is and if I could, I would go through and flatten her hair more so that it draws more emphasis on her face.
3.What are you proudest of? I’m very proud of my progress, because I started off with a very broad idea and changed it a little more every day, and I listened to the same album (Melodrama by Lorde) so that the piece will have the same reoccurring feel in the brushstrokes.

4.What would you have done differently with this piece? I would have been a bit more careful with her hair and maybe try to make her hair strokes as thick as the layers on the background and face.

5.Additional thoughts or ponderings I hope that people feel strong emotions when looking at this piece. As you can hopefully see, she’s looking over her shoulder. I wanted to capture the stream of emotions of moving on and looking back for a last time. The viewers can interpret it however they view it, but I really enjoyed creating this and I hope people take the time to interpret it in their own ways.
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