Studying Abstract

I have been studying the work of Joan Mitchell and reading books about her, primarily one by Jane Livingston.  I learned a lot by trying to copy some of her work but in very small scale--1:10.  These are all done in 8" x 10" format whereas her work was quite large--many 10 times that in size.  My little endeavors are acrylic on paper and hers were, of course, oil on canvas.

Each time I did one I learned more about how to interpret her work.  It's really quite complex--not just blobs or scratches but rather shapes with line.

I began to see that she often had a light background with shapes on top but the background had many, many subtle shades of color and texture.  Then more definite shapes were painted on top of those.

Her paint dribbled down the canvas to create those interesting vertical lines.  My attempt was done with the edge of a piece of matbard to give an illusion of dribbles.

I am trying one on my own now but it is not finished and it might never be satisfactory but the exercise was worth it!