Abstracts

[Poesia [ ] T]

 

i need to go track down joker and get him in here.

 

YES PLEASE DO SO.

[Bojangles]

Since we're getting a turnout in here, I figured I'd post a few more. Really liking all the work everyone has posted above me as well. Good to see some people besides me around here aren't stuck in a one-track state of mind.

[seeking]

SB

how big are these?

[Bojangles]

On average, around 24x40something range. Some are smaller, like 20something by 30's.

[Poesia [ ] T]

Bojangles i like the composition of those pieces the movement and the color. One thing that is bothering me about them though and it might be personal taste or lack of being personally viewing them. The paint seems a bit bland or dry. I Would like to see a bit more gloss or finished matte as those colors are so vivid. I keep catching myself looking to much at the paint rather than the painting.

 

Really good work though.

 

And Seeking im still digesting those last ones. I really dont know what to say. But good job..

[Poesia [ ] T]

Here are some pieces i crossed over till somone posts some new work.

 

 

Sarah Morris

 

 

Anselm Kiefer

 

 

Sergej Jensen

 

 

 

Damien Hirst

[Bojangles]

The photos really flat them out Poesia. I see where you're coming from though. Most of them have a mix of sheens and textures in person due to the types of paint variants I use. I need a better camera soon I think so I can capture those subtleties.

 

 

By scrolling back after reading that, I definitely see what you're saying.

[seeking]

these pictures totally suck. i have no good white light in my place, and i dont feel like dragging everything downstairs and trying to get shots outside, so keep in mind that they're lacking a whole lot.

 

this is actually white, with some creams, tans, and browns. it looks a lot like cowhide when you see it in person. it almost looks soft, like leather. it's one of my favorite things ive done, and the first thing i finished since the ones i posted earlier.

 

same colors as the one above. this one also has some natural wood still in it. this isnt done, i just dnt know what to do with it. the right panel needs something, just not sure what. i kinda feel like dyptichs and tryptichs are 'cheating', in the same way that black and white photography lends itself to boring photos. that doesnt stop me from liking them alot though. all of my paintings deal with being torn apart, breaking, disecting space etc, so its natural that id like this format. still needs work though.

 

this is me biting clifford still a bit. this one has about 8 colors in it, and all the reds are very transparant, built up upon themselves, so it looks like coagulated blood. this also isnt done. needs a smoother transition into the white, and more transparent whites in general.

 

this has 6 different shades of grey woven into the black, with transparent black washing back over it. it kinda creates a depth that you'll totally miss here. the red, like the one above it, is super layerd. this one is just waiting for some sort of stain to bring out the wood grain that runs through the middle. i tried coloring it with tea, but it wasnt strong enough. this was my attempt to bite audrey kawasaki, who ive quickly come to hate.

 

id work on these right now, but its a million degrees too hot for painting.

[Bojangles]

I'm glad you said cowhide, cuz that was my first impression too. Didn't know how you would take it. I really like those.

[Poesia [ ] T]

I like the Top one the most as i just think those colors lead to abstract so well. Subtle color shifts in that palette create just enough of an atmosphere to complete the painting. As well as the brushstrokes giving balance to the middle.

 

I also like the red and white where you have left the wood showing. I’m not sure if its your environment but the color palette excluding the striped gray piece are showing some southwestern tones. It isn’t due to the rawhide look, as i wouldn’t see that immediately until you have mentioned it.

 

What struck me most was the subtle color movement transitioning just enough without overpowering the fields of white.

 

I have been painting with a lot of polyurethane that i mix in small amounts of color and completely coat a completed painting, sometimes i have to start all over but it builds surface builds depth and creates layers of transparent paint. I also use wood stain, wood sealer. Whatever is available? It isn’t always perfect, but its perfectly unpredictable.

[seeking]

thanks.

not southwest, ive just always been really interested in rust on surfaces. i love when you see a bolt, or a crack in paint, and a stream of rust and discoloration runs down the panel. thts the most perfect 'art' to me. cracked, peeling paint, delapidation, etc. those colors tend to fall on the earthy side, so i gravitate towards them. also, i felt like the last couple things id done were black, so i wanted to try and do something a little more 'upbeat'. ha. i worry alot about being cliche, or repeating myself, so i try and make a point to not do that.

 

what is polyurathane? like, just clear base or semthing? im totally ignorant to art and techniques and all that. i use whatever i can rack from michaels, which always tends to be acrylic, cause i dont need anything special for it.

[Bojangles]

Polyurethane is just that...a clear coat. You can also try Krylon's "Triple Thick" glaze as well. It's usually in small jars at art supply stores for like 3 dollars.

 

I hear you on using whatever's around. I just grab shit that has colors I like and paint with it. I have no technique or idea in my head when I start.

 

Any of you ever try spraying aerosol over a puddle of water for effects/texture? It creates some interesting web-like designs.

[Poesia [ ] T]

its not even art product i dont think, I like using whatever i find at the hardware stores its a poormans version of damar varnish a clear coat it could be in acrylic base or oil. it comes in pints or gallons and is like 8 bucks for a pint. But i like using the random ones that have a bit of tint in it, or ill add some dark stain into the clear. I just experiment just like a painting. It can also go right over acrylic also.

[heavyLox]

im with your last two paragraphs.

[ERIZENO]

This thread is incredible !!! Good job all around. *(*golf clap*)*

 

I will contribute more than praise as soon as I can.

[Poesia [ ] T]

Here is picture i posted in the canvas thread its not on here as a pure abstract as the first canvas has graffiti, but just an expample of using the clear coat. This one is gloss based they also have matte.

 

[Joker]

Abstract...

 

There are times when I reflect on what I once was ( "... you know, Joker, that guy who does the silly abstract shit." ) and I absolutely hate the word. It brings up a time in the mid-nineties where I left traditional Graffiti behind and followed my heart... and paid dearly for it. Writers are not kind people. But there are also times when I reflect and realize I made the right decision to follow my heart and stay true to what I felt was the right direction for me. When I started writing Graffiti in 1985 my goal was to be in the next book by Henry Chalfant... which never happened. But when I met him ten years later he mentioned two of my pieces he had photos of and that he really liked my use of color and composition. In a way, I met my goal and felt pleased with what I had accomplished, and I've never strayed since.

 

I've always been more intrigued by abstract art than traditionalism in art. Even Pop-Art is kinda boring to me... not sure why. I guess I just identify with things not understood or much cared for. ( Boo-hoo... woe is me... me, me, me - put me out, I'm on fire )

 

Sorry I'm late to the party but I rarely stroll around through these threads anymore but something got the better of me today and I found this gem.

 

Bojangles... love, love, love the stuff you're posting.

 

Seeking... you've always been a bit hard on yourself and your work and it's good to see you still are. It's self-motivating.

 

Poesia... a blast from the past. Good to hear you're doing well my friend.

 

I would love to post some images for you guys of new work I've done but unfortunately I have nothing new. The last year or so all I've done is doodle fat characters picking their nose or throwing up... or dressed as a clown. And lots and lots of cursive handwriting. Not sure why I've chose these things to occupy my creative time but they seem to be the thing that keeps me motivated to draw.

 

I'll get back on here in a bit...

[Poesia [ ] T]

JOKER JOKER JOKER its good to finally hear your voice again or words atleast. Hope to hear your ideas and critiques and hopefully more importantly works. A true inspiration in my art life.

 

I have been away 3 years also so if i can come back and find inspiration anyone can. I just hope my artwork and technique can catch up as fast as my ideas.

[Bojangles]

Thanks for the complimet Joker. And as for your graffiti style you mentioned above, I was a huge fan of what you were doing in the 90's (/no jock) and Poesia's as well. I always liked the fact that both of you along with people like Ouija weren't afraid to go outside of the lines in terms of what was deemed graffiti. Much like how you said you felt you did what you needed and met your goals, I did the same in my little piece of the world and often was criticized for experimenting with styles. Just wanted to let you guys know that compliments coming from you guys about my work means a lot. (/no jock x2)

[HAL]

I hated the hate so much that I just about stopped doing abstract altogether and now do regular graffiti.

 

Seriously though, I hardly do abstract at all anymore because I love blending and building up colors and I have a hard time incorporating it into my decidedly flat, dimensionless take on abstract.

[Poesia [ ] T]

And the first comment the hating never got to much because I was on an island I never really read these pages back then I never knew who said what, I just did what I did. Im sure a lot of people hated on my stuff back then.

 

Yeah I think when we first had ideas about pushing limits and the envelope. Abstract was just a vehicle, we still represented our ideas of graffiti with some progression.

 

I still think whether looking back at the mid 90's or when transcend was a lot more active. What happened then is still farther ahead in idea and actual thought that takes place when you compose a piece.

 

As a lot of people said it will take years for this to be appreciated. I still believe that, that doesn’t mean that we cant paint traditional type graffiti. I think and i speak for myself that i needed to be grounded and actually remember what it was that i could still do. I have painted some nice letter pieces that are no where near the abstract that I was involved in, but they are still part of the creative process that i will soon break apart and completely destroy to a abstract once again.

 

Its like the child in all of thus that build castles out of sand then destroys them only to rebuild a better product of what was the idea of........

 

I see the creative process as running parallel to this logic. I think what set transcend apart from everyone else was not that we were painting only abstract or we had niche. It was that we actually had an idea of what we were doing, rather than just acting upon an impulse to paint, we were trying to work through our ideas and progress or regress. The cognitive actual realization that this is what we are doing.

 

I hope now that my life has stabilized for the better that I will continue this process, and hope all others will reflect as i do how much left yet there is still to do.

[lord_casek]

[Poesia [ ] T]

New Canvases in progress stuck at the moment.

 

[-Rage-]

Some great stuff in here.

[shitting]

sb i think the third is pretty dope, but the second one is hideous. weird huh

[Bojangles]

The second one is kinda doing its own thing, I can see where you're coming from.

[Bojangles]

Here's a few new ones I just finished:

 

[Poesia [ ] T]

I like the middle one the most, the small detail looks good. The last one im not sure if that tree fits, i like the line movement until the tree. Good work though.

[lord_casek]

 

what i tried to post earlier

[Poesia [ ] T]

Nice Is that Digital?