Finders Keepers

Happy Monday, Dear Readers!

Get ready for another week filled with wonderful mixed media inspirations and today it's our wonderful Teamie Bipasha's turn!

She is giving the best advice and proves - ever so beautifully - that abstract art doesn't have to be intimidating, quite opposite in fact!

Please, enjoy this fabulous project and feel inspired to create your own canvas. We'd love to hear from you what your favorite "finders keepers" are! :)

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Today, I am going to share a canvas art inspiration with loads of tips and techniques.
Abstract art requires you to have an open, inquiring mind; you must enter the painting and see where it takes you. Abstract art gives you the freedom to explore the artwork and assign your own meaning to the piece - enriching a viewer's experience of your artwork.

I'd also wish to inspire you with one of my addictions, - collecting found objects!
I have a special relation with the phrase "finders keepers" and I intended to use only those collectables from my stash as focal points in my creation, which define my style as an artist.

Collecting can become so addictive, especially for an artist.
My found objects and things are the inspiration and starting point for most of my artwork and ideas. When I see something, it can trigger off an instant idea and give me a vision to work with.

Something else I love about these found objects? They're secret-keepers. :)
Only I know what they represent, and to be honest, not many people will inquire further. Hence, the title for my creation is "Finders Keepers".

I started with a double white gessoed 10x12" canvas, and at the very outset, I divided the canvas in a 1:3 ratio widthwise with a masking tape to obtain a straight separating guideline for applying two contrasting colours.

I created the abstract painting with Art Alchemy Impasto Paints in Jade, Poppy Red, Cobalt blue and Dark Chocolate using a brayer and a palette knife.
I also added some White Gesso with dry brushing technique to add some highlights and brown Impasto Paint to create some shadows on the edges of the canvas, using a wet wipe.

I occasionally added some Patina Effect Pastes in Mint Green to add some grainy vintage textures and interest on the otherwise flat surface of the canvas.
It really is quite interesting to see how all of these mediums of different consistencies react with one another to produce a really beautiful, professional looking abstract painting.

I glued down some tangled black threads, masking tape with old book pages, washi tapes and paper strips (from my stash) with 3D Gel.

I also added some stamped scripts with the 'Read To Me' stamp, some doodling and faux stitching to produce the illusion of stitches with the real & doodled threads. So, no real stitching is involved in this canvas! :)

Note: I coated the paintbrush with Black Gesso to give it a chalky appearance and also to prep the base for the splatters and embellishing.

Finally, I adhered a paint brush and Mechanicals embellishments using 3D Gel medium and added watered down White Gesso splatters to complete the look.

For me, the elements that is relatable to my "finders keepers" stash are : ephemera, stamps, tangled threads, stitched paper/cloth remnants, found embellishments.
I tried to ensemble these to create an abstract symphony that is unique and personal to me and open to various interpretations by the viewers.

When it comes to abstract art, it really can be as easy as taking a paintbrush to canvas and going to town. But if you'd like a little more guidance, I have created a video tutorial on the making of this art piece with easy-to-tackle techniques for creating your own masterpieces.



Creating an abstract composition, just allow yourself to be taken in by the painting.
See what emotions, sensations or memories emerge.
Let your eyes relax and travel around the piece without expectation.
Examine the colors, forms, materials, surface, and how they interact with each other.
Take your time. Let the painting "speak" to you and trust me, you will end up creating a magical abstract art canvas.

I remember a famous quote by Arshile Gorky:

"Abstraction allows man to see with his mind what he cannot physically see with his eyes...
Abstract art enables the artist to perceive beyond the tangible, to extract the infinite out of the finite.
It is the emancipation of the mind. It is an explosion into the unknown areas".

Happy painting!

Warm hugs,

Bipasha

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