Don't be frustrated if what you see on your paper (i.e., on your painting) is NOT the same as what you see in your head or in the scenery or still life in front of you. Paintings take on lives of their own, and it is a much happier experience to go with the painting--where ever it takes you--than to get frustrated. The painting could even be the first in a series of treatments of the same subject.

If you want to be an abstract artist, or especially, if you have never done an abstract painting, select one of your photographs of a landscape (or anything, really) and turn it into an abstract form. Use the colors and shapes to guide your design--the trees or fences do not have to look exactly like trees and fences. They can become vertical and horizontal lines that define space. Also, try not to use the colors you see in your photo. Try making a color map--everywhere you see hues of purple, use yellow; instead of reds, use greens--that sort of thing. Try it. It's fun AND you will be amazed at what a wonderfully creative artist you are!

Here are two paintings, one by Kim Waters and one by James Stephens. Most people would agree that the top painting is an abstract work. You may not be able to identify what you're looking at, but you can bet that the artist had something definite in mind when she created it (See the note under the picture.). What about the lower painting? Is it an abstraction, a representational work, or something in between? The foliage in the background is similar to the shapes in the top painting.

Cover the white porch railing and gate with your fingers. What's left? Just some foliage. With these identifiable shapes covered, compare the two paintings, and notice that the lower painting's background is similar to the shapes in the top painting. But you should also notice that the top painting clearly has more coherence, structure, planned positive and negative shapes, and a sense of direction. These abstract elements make the painting.

The lower painting's background does not have such carefully planned elements. It's the gate and the porch that matter, and these two familiar shapes make this painting into something that we can identify.

When I painted this picture, I was struck by the sunlight on the gate, and the way it almost glowed against the shrubbery in the background. That is what I was after.

James Stephens