On your marks – painting with abstract brush strokes

I’m learning to not mess with my paintings. What I’m trying to do in a conscious way is to lay down a stroke of paint and then leave it alone. Now that is easier said than done, after all we all like to fiddle and to try and “improve” on any mark we make. But when we do this we lose the freshness and energy of our original stroke.

Lori Putnam – Sunrise Sonata

(Original oil painting on sale at the Rosslare Gallery , Rosslare, Ireland)

I saw this painting in the gallery and was immediately impressed by the marks Lori Putnam had made. From a distance the palm trees are clearly defined. But look up close (below)…

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It’s all just abstract brush marks!

OK, they are carefully placed, and carefully intended, but the whole painting is just a collection of small abstract marks. When seen close up they make no sense, but when you step back, then – wham! – the trees against the sunset make complete sense.

Another example

Here is a beautiful painting by Kevin MacPherson. Let’s look at bits of it close up…

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It’s just abstract splodges of paint! Each brush-mark has been rendered with precision in colour and value and direction, and together they create vegetation or rocks or shadows. See how each stroke is different from those around it. The differences might be very subtle, but they are there and they are what make the painting zing!

So, next time you pick up a brush to paint, think about making each mark different to the last one in colour, value and direction. I think your paintings will sparkle with life!

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