Abstract Painting - More Progress in the Studio

This photo shows the middle stage of a painting on wood panel I am currently working on in my studio. It is a continuation of my first blog post on this painting.

After completing several layers of glazing over the underpainting, the palette was expanded, and thicker opaque layers of paint were added by blending, scraping, and scratching, while allowing certain areas of the previous layers to show through. It is planned that additional thicker layers will be added, but that can only be done once the latest layers dry to a certain point. The number of additional layers remains uncertain, but they will continue to be added until the painting "declares" that it is complete and nothing more can add to it.

For those who saw the blog post showing the beginning stages, you will notice that the painting is now at a horizontal rather than the vertical it was at before. This happens from time to time during the creative process and is part of the intrigue with abstract painting. The "top" of the painting may not be established until just before the work is completed. And again, the mission is to create a work of art that can stand alone in the end, holding the attention of the viewer by a striking presence and by ambiguities and prompting questions.

You can click on the image for an expanded view. To see all blog posts and other doodles, click HERE. Thank you for following the works in progress, and the paintings, sculpture, drawing, doodles, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark.

Abstract Painting - Progress in the Studio

This photo shows the early stage of a painting on wood panel I am currently working on in my studio.

In abstract painting, the process is like a leap of faith in that I don't have a specific vision of what the completed painting should look like in the end. This is what makes abstract art both challenging and intriguing. Early on, I do have an idea of what the next few stages will be in the painting process. That allows the current stage to be completed with confidence. This is important because if the painting is young and the next stage is unknown, the painting becomes lost and may remain in limbo forever.

The painting here is young but the next few stages are planned. First, large shapes of color were applied, wiped, and scraped to establish the underpainting. Second and third layers of cool (as opposed to warm) color have been applied again, in thin glazes. The glazing effect creates luminous colors and a sense of distance between the paint and the panel. Still, I am not too concerned with the shapes and colors at this point, as I plan to cover up most of the surface with subsequent layers and "fatter" paint using scraping and pulled-paint techniques. It has been planned that the luminous glazes of cool color should provide various backgrounds and areas of interest behind the subsequent thicker layers, where the thicker layers break up or do not cover the surface completely.

On the table you can see I am using a very limited palette at this stage -- just five cold colors, while also utilizing the white ground of the panel. Each color is translucent and perfect for glazing. Once this stage is complete, however, I will expand the palette and use several more colors, adding warmth, contrast, and more texture. The mission is to create a work of art that can stand alone in the end, holding the attention of the viewer by a striking presence and by ambiguities and prompting questions.

These are all techniques also used for painting representational figures (realism) and an example of how, to the artist, abstract painting is the same process.

Thanks again for following the works in progress, and the paintings, sculpture, drawing, doodles, and other art by Los Angeles artist Lucas Aardvark.

Avoiding the Clones! Pre-Production and Constructing A Wood Panel

Sufficient pre-production and preparedness, or a lack of it, can make or break any project. One of the most important elements of painting is constructing and priming the painting surface. The pre-painting stage cannot be ignored, as it plants the seeds for a painting to develop its unique character!

For example, go into any art store, such as Blick, and find the canvas section. This section has stretched and primed canvases ready for painting, giving us the option of skipping the entire pre-production process altogether. The problem I have with these ready-made canvases is that they are mass machine produced, clones created with standard dimensions and impeccably uniform surfaces. Sometimes they are made with weak wood stretcher bars or cheap canvas. Most of the time, that drab uniform surface of a clone will remain in the texture of the completed painting. A painting should be a unique individual object, not an outgrowth of a clone.

So, the best way to avoid the clone is to construct and prime each painting surface individually. Here, I've decided my next painting will be on a solid wood panel.

Since the painting will be an addition to the "obsolete law book" series, I want it to remind us of the bookshelves on which these books once sat, so I decided to use the bookshelves themselves as the painting surface.

Here is a synopsis on how it was constructed:


After aligning the three bookshelves together, I used an electric miter saw to cut 2x2 bars to the correct dimensions. These bars are used for reinforcement and to hold the panels together. I used wood glue to attach everything, holding it all in place with clamps and masking tape. After the glue dried, I nailed the reinforcement bars in place. But because nails may slip out over time if the wood warps slightly, screws are necessary to prevent this by minimizing warping:


The panel was then flipped over and the surface was sanded down, smooth to the touch and free of splinters. After the sides were also sanded, the construction stage was complete. With dimensions of 48" x 33", this is what it looked like:


With a sturdy wood panel constructed, priming the surface was the next stage. I used three layers of gesso, sanding in between layers. Careful consideration is given to priming, as it will affect the texture of the final painting. In this case I used an old brush to spread the gesso in a smooth but slightly uneven manner with subtle irregularities. This sets the stage for the painting to develop its unique qualities in texture and presentation.


And now it is time to paint!