Abstract Study of Daybreak

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

A friend of mine recently introduced me to his brother-in-law by saying: " This is Bob Farrell. He is an artist who paints boats."  I thought about this later and it occurred to me that I have used boats as my subject matter for years.  However, I don't really think of myself as someone who just paints boats. When I am painting I am focusing on shapes, tones and color and how those three things are affected by the light I am observing.  To me, this is an abstract way of thinking about realistic subjects.  While I do not paint strictly abstract art, I have great respect for artists who can create beautiful paintings using the basic elements of art, i.e., balance, unity, rhythm, contrast, color, tone and texture without having to rely on a recognizable object or scene.  In fact, I am hoping to get more involved in painting abstractly because I think it's great fun and a new challenge.  There is a tendency when painting realistically to make things appear real, sometimes at the expense of the overall work of art.  When painting a boat for example the artist feels he must make it appear "sea-worthy" instead of just insuring that the shape,tone and color harmonize within the overall composition.  So instead of boats in the water at daybreak, think horizontal shapes of red and blue violet hues on a background of yellow and yellow-orange.  Feel the rhythm of vertical masts spaced artistically across the painting and relieved by the curvilinear rope shapes.  What is the mood and how does the observable light contribute to this?   

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