Using reference in abstract painting. Limonana series.

Last year I have joined Israeli artists group of Toronto which organizes art exhibit annualy. For this show I have decided to continue the theme of exploring my Israeli part of identity through food. I chose my favourite summer drink-Limonana which is popular in Israel. It is a refreshing  iced smoothie from fresh lemon juice and mint leaves. In Toronto you can find it in ‘Aroma’ café, but it is also very easy to make it at home in a blender.

For 4 cups (one liter) of ice limonana:

2 cups of ice
1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 4 large lemons)
1/2 cup spearmint leaves (from about 40 stalks), plus a few more to garnish
4-6 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)

Juice the lemons, and remove the mint leaves from the stalks. Dump all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.

Serve garnished with mint.

 

 

 ‘There is no abstract art.  You must always start with something.  Afterward you can remove all traces of reality’,-Pablo Picasso. Said that, I have used reference photographs to come up with the compositions. I wanted my paintings  to be non-objective , so I was just guided by the forms , shapes and colours from the photos. To build a colour scheme I picked colours which represent mint, lemon and the blended drink, and added purple colour to make the complimentary colour scheme.  I am always looking for the colour contrasts, especially to highlight the focal point of the painting. I continued using collage and drips in this series as well. The new thing in these works is that I have used new scrapping tools which I bought recently.

I will exhibit 4 paintings from ‘Limonana’ series  in IGAT art show which will take place on May 17-20, 2012 in McDonald House, Thornhill. 25 artists will present there works, including painting, sculptures, ceramics and jewellery. 

Abstract cityscapes series-'Mirage'

‘Mirage’ is abstract cityscapes series that I have been working on for the last two months or so. In this series  I continued the idea of transforming the realistic urban scenes  to the abstract. I started from palette of 4 colours that are most appealing to me which are oranges and blues, and made about 20 sketches. I have learned that more sketches you paint are better.  It gives the opportunity to experiment and then to choose most successful ones.

While sketching , I have referred to photos or scenes that I have seen , but mostly I improvised.  I think improvisation is a key in abstract painting! After I have painted few paintings, one of my fans commented that I should call the series –mirages.

I researched mirage phenomenon online and found interesting facts about it. I was surprised how matching this association was to my colour scheme and the compositions! As you know mirage are the physical optical phenomenon which could be photographed. It happens mostly in desserts, seas and highways. In brief, it is a reflection of trees, buildings or water through different layers of air. Sometimes these images could be seen upside down. So ‘Mirage’ it is!

In this series I continued my favourite medium – fluid acrylic paint with collage. Newsprints of Russian, Hebrew and English texts  are from Toronto newspapers that I have found at home. I like to see the integration of texts and Japanese rice paper in the painting. For me the painting doesn’t look finished if there are no paper additions. Also while painting this series, I started to experiment with drips which I observed in the works of many artists , but never had courage to  try. I have learned that it is the most uncontrollable technique I ever used! It was scary in the beginning , but in the end it made painting interesting and look like something alive.  

The next step is my exhibition in March at Gallery F (George Brown College) where I will exhibit my abstract cityscapes series ‘Mirage’ and ‘City of Neighbourhoods’ to the public critic.

Abstract Mixed Media

About a month ago I have taken an amazing workshop on a wet-on-wet  acrylic technique and mixed media . We used fluid acrylic which I never used before and it opened a new world for me! This paint has a lot of pigment and allows combining the effects of water colours and oil in one. Since then I am experimenting a lot with ‘Golden’ fluid acrylics and adding collage to my paintings. Previously Picasso’s collages inspired me to add newspaper print and Japanese rice paper to my realistic paintings, and I continue doing it with abstract paintings too. It seems that while painting abstract compositions, you need to connect to your inner world in order to create a visual impression. You are using you mind, emotions and may be sub-consciousness to express yourself in abstract way. It frees you and you create a different kind of beauty. Said that, the compositions are often inspired from realistic scenes or /and experiences. The last painting that I have done called “Warm snow” (Mixed media on w/c paper, 14’ x 17’). It was inspired by an image seen while driving along the

Bathurst  Street

in the early evening. The sky, road and cars around seemed all blue from darkening sky and rare snowflakes. The snow was melting in the air and the red lights of cars ahead of me were making long reflections on the wet road. It created an abstract image in my mind of red long strips on a blue canvas.  This combination of warm and cold colours inspired me to make a series called ‘Warm Snow’.