04/13/2026
When I used to work at a gallery I would hear all sorts of comments from the visitors and they were usually about the abstract artwork. A lot of people don’t get it. A kid could do that. I heard that frequently. But when you start actually working on it, it turns out it’s not as easy as it looks. The way your paint brush, pencils, and other tools touch the canvas is so dependent on many factors. What are you thinking about? How are you feeling? What colours are being used? And for the viewer, the most important questions are: What do you see? and How does it make you feel? It’s a personal experience for the artist and the one looking at the artwork. Maybe that’s what they don’t like: They’re not sure how they should be feeling when looking at it.
This little abstract piece in my sketchbook was created using more materials than I usually use. I’ve had these Duo Aqua Oil paints (water-soluble oils) by Holbein, which are so vibrant BUT they take forever to dry. I’ve had my sketchbook open at this page for days waiting for it to dry. I’ve also noticed how terribly they layer with some of my other tools. A great experiment, though. This is a reverse order of my process.
