Landfall Abstract Ocean Scene

This entry shows art two art pieces with a purpose. Rise, fall if I must. Stand to meet the challenge. What’s the challenge? I’ve got to get a hold of my stinking thinking. I have to change my outlook one single color at a time if necessary. While writing I felt a sense of urgency and desperation. I could all but see myself at a door grabbing the handle and pulling it, ripping at.

Lets talk more about the art at the root of these emotions.

Landfall

Landfall

Creating non objective abstract art started with a self challenge in June of 2014. I really wanted to create some of the beautiful art I was seeing, but it didn’t think I had it in me to do that type of art. When I first challenged myself I said I’d do 10 paintings. I wasn’t looking forward to it because it was as if I had no idea where to start, let alone know how to finish.

Though I’m still learning, I can say I have left behind the anxiety. I enjoy it creating non-objective abstract art. I find it soothing to create and I actually feel I know when to start. As a matter of fact I start non-objective abstract such as “Landfall” the same way I begin other art, with a single stroke.

I don’t think too hard and I sure don’t plan ahead. When it comes to art, if I plan ahead then I’m planning for a disaster. I start art with one single stroke and go from there. I paint from the hip…..not literally because that would be uncomfortable. My next challenge with abstracts is to paint them larger.  Continue reading “Landfall Abstract Ocean Scene”

Three of Diamonds and Ink on Paper

Three of Diamonds

About:
There are three main faces in this abstract art piece. As the painting unfolds with diamonds, checker boards, stripes and squares, two small figures stand firm with their backs to one another.

Details:
There are plenty of details. Swirls bump into squares and triangles, circles join checkers and faces hide themselves in it all. There are a total of 7 figures hiding in color. Continue reading “Three of Diamonds and Ink on Paper”

Dance of Dissonance

framed

By 4 am I was exhausted. My head was tired, full of noise that made no sense. At my threshold I got up from bed and walked 10 feet to my studio, pulled out a piece of paper and began to paint. I removed some of the surface paper for texture, scratched paint with a toothpick and smeared paint with all my fingers until finally the noise ceased. 

In the painting you’ll see a face outlined in black – eyes, nose, lips. While the face is hot with red and orange, the dreadlocks hang in blue and black. On the outskirts, into the white is yellow and the tiniest flicker of green.  Continue reading “Dance of Dissonance”

Artist Thoughts: Seeing and an Abstract Journey

Seeing the Lines
I’d like to learn to paint birds and I’d like to learn to paint more abstract pieces such as expressionism, contemporary and modern abstract. I really, really want to do abstract. I recently purchased an art pad that I intend to dedicate to this abstract journey of mine. When I paint an object such as birds, flowers, what have you, I need a photo reference in front of me so that I can see the lines. A long time ago I didn’t paint sunflowers because I couldn’t ‘see’ it in my head. I couldn’t see the lines of the petals.

I found a website that showed step by step how to paint a sunflower. It was some sort of site where the artist painted with the mouse and then the program showed viewers step by step how the artist painted the piece. That is how I learned to ‘see’ the lines of what I wanted to paint. Wish I could remember that link.

I think I may need to get a cheap book of various birds and flowers. Once I can ‘see’ it I can alter it according to the theme of an individual painting, but I’ve got to learn the lines first.

Abstract Freedom of Expression
Continue reading “Artist Thoughts: Seeing and an Abstract Journey”

Thunderstorm on paper

Thunderstorm d1In addition to the emotional process of creating this painting, there is a storm of art mediums. I do enjoy experimenting with different types of media.

Thunderstorm

In this 6 x 9 painting on paper, I’ve mixed acrylic with sawdust and sand. There is also ink and gel with a final matte acrylic seal. If you put all that together and mix it up on sketchbook paper, you get the aftermath of a thunderstorm.

In the painting you see a black face woman with lips and eyes like the sea. Her hair flows into the waves and becomes them. Her body floats until it too becomes part of the sea. You see the burning of the salt and the sun and her yearning for land. There is wave after wave after wave with the impending boom and resulting lightening. Or is has the lightening already shown itself in her eyes?

Continue reading “Thunderstorm on paper”

Ancient Pathway

ancient pathwayI played. That’s how this painting came about, I played. This is a combination of handmade paper from India, a cut out, a sunflower and rubber stamps made by yours truly. I just started stamping and layering then came the elephant, the tall leaves and the sunflower.

I sat looking at the painting. I knew it needed a focal point then it hit me; light. I layered blue, white and yellow to create a beam of light that came from the sunflower to the elephant. It’s intended to appear that the elephant is drawn to it, walking steadily towards it. Continue reading “Ancient Pathway”

Jenny has dreams too

Jenny has dreams too

Jenny has golden bangs and pony tails that flame with orange. Her blue stone cheek rests in her hand as she looks off into deeper blue. She was created by dripping paint and allowing it to run into the next color. There are large white areas that bump into cool blue, stark black and tiny flecks of red. This painting is fluid and morphing. It pinches in areas, opens up to gold in others and sits still as it is surrounded by dark. It is an emotive art piece of a little child resting her head on her hand. This is a Macabre painting of a stone child.

Art Title: Jenny
Art by. F. Magdalene Austin
Size: 6×4 inches on heavyweight paper, sketchbook art
Medium: Acrylic, ink,

Continue reading “Jenny has dreams too”

Birds on Fallen Trees

Birds on Fallen Trees – 9 x 8 clay and wood sculpture created almost entirely with found items. The cobble stones in clay were found items, the twigs are from 5 fallen trees, the birds are from a recycled art piece, real Pekin duck feathers have been added as well as dried flowers.

When I’m anxious I paint. When I’m anxious I walk. The other day was a walking day. While walking I decided to explore an area struck by last spring’s storms. In that area there are at least 5 trees uprooted. It’s as if they were effortlessly plucked and left on their side. Sad though the sight may sound, nature has created its own art piece. It’s the kind of art you only find in nature, the stuff artists  like me can’t come close to mimicking. Continue reading “Birds on Fallen Trees”

Artist’s Thoughts

What I thought I might do on this blog is from time to time toss up an entry under “Artist’s Thoughts.” I’ll do short entries about what goes through my mind when I’m painting, when I’m not painting and all sorts of things that I think in relation to art. The entries will be simple and to the point. I hope people will feel free to comment and throw in their two cents worth.
Here’s the first one.

Sometimes there’s no motivation to paint a specific subject matter, and I don’t seem to get myself over to links that offer inspiration. What I end up doing is coming up with simple ways on my own of  ‘get my paint on’.

Continue reading “Artist’s Thoughts”