Comically Abstract

A friend called the other day and suggested I study up on an artist in the hope I might get something done for a show in a few weeks. "Wassily Kandinsky" she said. "Look him up, his work is all over the internet."

Wow, she wasn't kidding. Kadinsky is the founder of modern abstract art and has had a huge influence on almost anyone who has picked up a brush since then. I'm especially fond of his work from 1922 until 1944 (his death) so I studied that period to get some ideas. Here's a sample of his amazing work:

I wanted to use some of the elements that are popular in his paintings and I love his use of color but I also wanted to make the piece my own. Since I try to work a bit of humor into the things I make, I decided to go in that direction. After drawing a dozen sketches, I picked out a few to try. My favorite was a sketch I called "Konductor Kadinsky".


I first painted the background (much darker than I should have) and let it sit to dry for an hour.


After messing with the painting for a few hours I had this:


A little frustrated, I decided to post the unfinished picture online as a "work in progress". I complained that the dark background had caused the elements of the piece to lose their "pop". My young friend Elise came back and said "It needs some purple". She was right! I added a shadow and brightened the colors a little bit more. I think I'm done!


Once I was over that hurdle, I tried one more painting. This one is titled "Kiddy Kiddy". Also in the style of Kadinsky.



Check out Kadinsky yourself. He was an amazing artist and is still a great inspiration!

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