What is abstract art? And why I create it

Hello there! 

Well, it’s been a while so I wanted to re-introduce myself by talking about why I create the art that I do…and what the heck abstract means anyway.

The way I describe ‘abstract art’ is that it’s a style of art that doesn’t obviously depict an image or a scene. It’s not like taking a photo and then illustrating or painting it on to canvas or paper. Instead, abstract art is more of a visual representation of emotions, feelings and moods. Using colour, shape, lines, gestural marks, layers and textures, a moment in time, a memory, can be expressed in so many ways depending on the connection to the artist.

Abstract art is definitely open to interpretation. Not one piece looks back at you and tells you to only see and feel certain things. Abstract art is here to connect with you on a personal level, to evoke a wide range of emotions and responses.

Some well-known artists that favoured abstract expressionism are Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian and Jackson Pollock (one of my faves!).

Art has always been a part of my makeup. At school, I clearly remember art classes, being plonked in front of some displayed arrangement and told to paint it. Now I know this is a big part of learning and making art, but it never sat very well with me. I found it utterly boring so never really gave it my all.

At college, things got a bit better, taking part in life drawing, whether that meant a scene with a naked model, or just the naked model! We weren’t expected to just paint or draw what we saw in front of us. It was more of a relaxed approach, observing shape, perspective, light and dark. Attempting the same scene, but using different mediums – pencils, pens, charcoal, chalk, rubbers – then it got a bit more fun using pencils attached to the end of really long sticks, or just creating using straight lines. I started to feel a bit more open and relaxed about my approach.

I feel my creativity really opens up when there are no barriers and restrictions. Structure I definitely need in my life, but not when it comes to my art. I need fluidity and a relaxed environment. I feel my art is totally ruined if I plan everything in advance down to substrate, titles and mediums. I like to start with just an idea and go from there. Sometimes, starting a new piece is the hardest part. The first splash of paint, or mark making needs to be done in a relaxed state, it’s a time of exploration and new beginnings!

Creating abstract art means I can express myself in so many ways. For me, it was originally a tool for working through periods of bad mental health and negativity. Now I use it as a way of expressing joy, positivity and feeling good. A continuous support, a reminder that feeling good is a natural state of mind and available to us all. It is something that works very well for me, so naturally I want to share it with you. And the best thing…abstract art speaks to us on a very personal level. We may all see and feel different thing in the same piece, as long as you get a little boost of positivity from my art…I’ll be very happy knowing I’ve been able to help you.

With positivity,

Helen xx