Abstract Lanscape

Late in 2008 I was using the Zentangle concept to start making some little piece of original art every day. After drawing for a month, I started putting small windows into the designs so they would have a distinct focal point. That turned into embossed pastels. I like these, and I wanted to try something similar with oil pastels.

One of my recurring inspirations is the landscape of my daily drive to work. I started making doodle designs for crops, trees, mountains, etc. and they became the foundation for the abstract landscape shown here. This one is oil pastel with gouache painted on top. The pastel resists the gouache and gives a flat background. I learned this from Ann Altman.

After I took this picture and posted it, I noticed that the two dark green marks in the lower left stand out. I'll go back and adjust. That's one benefit of taking photos of my work. Somehow I can see what needs help more clearly in a photo than I can in the original.

Comments

[Heather T.]

Oh, I love this--love the concept, especially. The curves are beautiful, too--I can really see the Oregon countryside in this...

[Julie K in Taiwan]

I really appreciate how you encorporate so much of your surroundings into your art.

[Hanna]

I like the landscape, and your blog. Thanks for the link to zentangle, I didn't know about that! I'm making a art card each day right now and it's so much fun!