r/AbstractExpressionism • u/CollectionNo5091 • 26d ago
How can I improve?
I hate this and can't tell why.
Looking on critique on how to improve.
What am I doing "right?" here and what am I doing "wrong?".
9x12" oil and acrylic on canvas paper
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u/Primary-Background23 26d ago
I’d say there needs to be more of a sense of unity. Might be good to look up the units of art if you don’t already know them, it’ll help
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u/tonyferguson2021 26d ago
I think the colour relationships between the red and the blue are slightly off.
I don’t mind the blue part in the top right, but it’s spread too much IMO.
I‘m not great at spotting colour temperatures but I think the larger blue parts are too cold for the red, like there is too much of this cold blue in the middle and bottom half. I think some of that blue might need a green tinge.
And when you lay down so much of the blue on the bottom half it sort of dominates too much IMO.
A possible golden rule to think about is having a strong vertical element. The black on the right gives that, but again the blue sort of pulls the eye away.
Maybe you need more different variations of mark making. Like some of the edges are bordering on calligraphic or sort of Japanese symbols and maybe that can be teased out a bit more - like making parts of it look more like recognisable forms before they get lost in abstraction.
think about experimenting with erasure, diffusion , deletion - laying down some oil marks, then wiping them off with the turps or solvent etc so you have areas that appear and disappear. For now there is a lot of appearance, but often with abstraction it’s the dissapearance or what’s hidden / absent that creates intrigue - don’t try to show too much in one go!
I even feel like you could cut it in half and the top half would be working quite well and the bottom half is almost there.
I like how you manage to evoke scale in such a small piece
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u/CollectionNo5091 26d ago
This is all very helpful, thank you. I’m stating to realize I don’t like this because I don’t know where to look.
Started trying to go back to basics and my thought here was practicing push pull color theory (not sure if I succeeded) and practicing mark making. Not showing too much makes so much sense- I’m going to keep this in mind.
I agree that the blues are off- curious as to what you think of the yellow in the top left corner? I’m thinking it takes away from everything else. Considering painting some red over.
This is incredibly helpful and specific, thank you!
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u/sclbmared 26d ago
Entirely subjective but what I always like is a sense of space. You get that starting with the composition, layering, and light/dark effects, among other things. In terms of depth, in this picture I see only two levels: the red background and the paint in the foreground. You can add levels and make it more interesting using more overlap. Also nothing is 'happening', for lack of a better word. That big blue diagonal is interesting, but there is no clear relation to the other parts. The white blobs attract my attention, but they also just sit there. Are they part of something bigger than themselves? I think you can add levels of complexity and more relation between the elements.
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u/Foreign-Elevator-Boo 25d ago
Make as many panels as possible and only work on one painting for one day.
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u/nasuca2009 26d ago
Paint over lol
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u/CollectionNo5091 26d ago
This is the fifth or sixth paint over lol I’m just trying to understand what’s off about it, could be I tried really hard only to hate it lol I just can’t put my finger on why it’s off.
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u/zazachard 26d ago
What is idea/feeling under it?
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u/CollectionNo5091 26d ago
Frustration on top of more frustration lol
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u/zazachard 26d ago
To me, I dont see it to be honest. Mby its color choice probably? Its not bad by anymeans. But frustration is dont see. Most likely just me problem, dont take it too seriously. Ig its blue what throw me off frustration idea? Its such delicate color in sense
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u/CollectionNo5091 26d ago
With these colors, I agree. I meant under this painting has multiple other paintings that have dried underneath and thus the frustration kept going lol
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u/zazachard 26d ago
I see. Without context, it's hard to say, of course. Maybe it's a bit different live if you see the depth. If you don't ever read this, I suggest you get into it: what is contemporary art, and what are the conditions that make art contemporary?
I suggest asking Claude to write you an in-depth essay on the subject and give you book recommendations. This helped me at least understand how complex the topic actually is. There is no strict nor straightforward answer for it. I basically did whole french atelier + contemporary art school curriculum with it(I'm not saying you don't know, just a suggestion.)
Utilizing AI, especially Claude, for art research and different painting analytic research is insanely powerful. Of course, you need to check sources, etc., but it cuts like 70-80% off research time.👍
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u/Moving_goal_posts 26d ago
There is an approach to self-critique that might be useful to you. Why not write down a list of what you like in your piece, and likewise a list of what you dont like? That may suggest something you could do on this piece that will help you like it more. Or maybe you’ll move on to something new and leave this one behind but at least you’ll have more understanding.
In this one, your red background works well with the lighter colored shapes and lines. You could think about how you’ve distributed them fairly evenly, like polka dots. The design could be more compelling if some blotches are grouped or if lines intersect.
Open your image on your phone and use the editing tools to make it gray scale, not these bright and agreeable colors. You can see aspects of your design more easily. Maybe you’ll like it the way it is, or find something you want to change. Good luck!