Abstract Surrealism
In this blog post I’m trying to lay out the skeleton of my aesthetic and explain to you, what abstract surrealism is, to me. It’s not an actual art movement, I just simply made it up, because I think it’s the best way to describe my work.
My fusion of surrealism, glazing techniques, painting in layers and using texture & abstraction, provides a surreal dream-like, yet edgy atmosphere. I love abstract artwork, because abstraction teaches us about surface and looking past the object into the rhythms of life. I have found that painting abstract is only possible if you trust and follow your instincts, your “inner knowing“. Abstract artworks are often looked down upon. Sentences like… “A four year old could paint that“ etc. are common. But here’s the thing, as young children we had a natural ability to be “in the moment“ and create. As adults, the constant chatter in our minds distract us from being fully present in the moment, as we find ourselves dwelling on past or future events, instead of creating. The first step to painting intuitively is to tune in with ourselves. So for many people creating a good abstract artwork is actually not easy.
I have found for myself, that the best results I achieve is when I focus on the process and self expression. I take a playful and experimental approach to each stage, using different tools and mediums to create. That’s why painting realistically to me becomes boring after a while. I need the excitement and change. And also, for me the whole point of painting is having fun and creating something that hasn’t been there before. Sometimes the weirder the better.
Combining abstraction and surrealism is a very freeing way to paint. For me it’s a great tool to visualize and represent complex spiritual ideas. I love painting with random texture. It gives the painting a feeling of being alive. There is nothing like getting your hands dirty with paint and seeing paint drip down a canvas.
The artistic surrealist movement (emerged in 1924) focused on picturing irrational and unconscious things. The main topic explored by surrealist artists and writers was the dialogue between dreams and reality, trying to depict affluence of human mind with the emphasis on its subconscious images and surreal landscapes. There were no rules, no limits to what you could paint. Because of that I have always loved surrealist art.
Both surrealism and abstraction offer an endless amount of creativity. Where surrealism uses different symbolics to tell a story, abstraction uses light, colour and texture to create a mood, an emotion, a story. Together I found them to be the perfect match, to be able to tune into my senses and emotions and translate it onto canvas.