The Art of the Abstract

Abstract art has been around since the beginning of the twentieth century. Hilma af Klint, along with Wassily Kandinsky, were the first painters to devote their artistic careers to the practice of abstract art. Hilma was a Swedish artist and mystic who is considered to be one of the pioneers of abstract art. She was born in 1862 and studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm. She was also interested in spiritualism and Theosophy and participated in séances with a group of women called "The Five". She believed that her paintings were inspired by higher beings who communicated with her through her mediumship. She created hundreds of paintings and drawings that were mostly kept hidden from the public until after her death in 1944. Her work was rediscovered in the 1980s and has since gained recognition and appreciation from the art world. Her 2018 show at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s exhibition “Hilma Af Klint: Paintings for the Future” was the most-visited exhibition in the museum’s 60-year history.

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian-born artist who is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of abstract art. He was born in 1866 and studied law and economics at the University of Moscow before moving to Munich to pursue his artistic career. According to some sources, Kandinsky saw Monet’s haystacks painting in 1895 when he visited an exhibition of French impressionists in Moscow. He was fascinated by Monet’s use of color and light, and he realized that painting could go beyond depicting reality. He later wrote that Monet’s haystacks were “the first impressionist picture that had a really powerful impact on me” and that they "made me suddenly realize that painting has a life of its own." He believed that art should express inner feelings and emotions rather than imitate external reality. He experimented with different forms, colors, and symbols to create his own abstract language of painting.

I’ve always been fascinated by abstract art with its ability to move the viewer through the use of shapes, forms, and color. It was said that when people viewed Mark Rothko’s paintings it would bring tears to their eyes.

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abstract

Summer in the deserts of America’s southwest can be brutal, well the deserts can be brutal throughout the year, but the summer is the cruelest – unrelenting sun and heat, extremely low humidity, and vast expanses of uninhabited land. But as brutal as it can be, the beauty of the desert, at least for me, is unmatched in nature. The four artworks that make up the Sonoran Summer series represent to me the beauty of the desert at its most extreme – the summer.

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Sonoran Summer 1	Sonoran Summer 2	Sonoran Summer 3
Sonoran Summer 4

In the northern reaches of the Rocky Mountains, where the air is crisp and the forests whisper secrets of old, there exist four roses unlike any other. They are known as the Whispering Roses, each residing in its own niche within the mountain's embrace. The Whispering Blue Rose, Whispering Red Rose, Whispering Pink Rose, and finally, the Whispering Yellow Rose—each holds a tale woven into the fabric of the wild.

Together, the four Whispering Roses of the northern Rockies form a symphony of stories, each unique yet part of a greater whole. They speak to those who listen, sharing the wisdom of the mountains and the forest. And as the seasons change, their whispers continue to echo through the valleys, a timeless melody of the wild, a reminder that even in silence, there is a song to be heard.

The text used for this series is only used temporarily until I have the time to write the final version.

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The Whispering Blue Rose	The Whispering Red Rose	The Whispering Pink Rose
The Whispering Yellow Rose

The Lake Region is nestled in the embrace of an area of rolling hills, a small community that thrives beside a vast, tranquil lake. As autumn's touch painted the foliage with fiery hues, the townspeople prepared for the season's change. The air grew crisp, and the scent of burning wood from fireplaces began to mingle with the earthy aroma of fallen leaves.

As winter's first frost caressed the ground, the community was transformed once again. The lake, now a sheet of glassy ice, held the memory of summer beneath its icy crust. The trees stood bare, their branches like outstretched fingers against the gray sky. The community, resilient and close-knit, adapted to the shorter days and longer nights. Ice fishing tents dotted the lake, and people traded their bicycles for skates. The heart of the community remained vibrant, beating steadily through the cold of winter, a testament to the enduring spirit of the people of the Lake Region.

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December First	January First	February First
March First

The Moths is a vibrant exploration of form and color, where the mysterious beauty of moths is reimagined through the lens of abstract art. This moth series of artworks capture the delicate intricacies and vivid hues of these nocturnal creatures. Each piece is a celebration of the moth's transformative journey, rendered in a bold kaleidoscope of colors that challenge the boundaries of traditional representation. Immerse yourself in a world where the flutter of wings takes on new dimensions, inviting you to interpret the silent language of moths in your own unique way.

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Variegated Aspen Moth	Central Park Moth	White Spotted Moth
Orange Skimmer Moth

Welcome to a visual journey through the world’s most enigmatic deserts, captured in the abstract essence of four unique artworks. Each piece invites you to explore the stark beauty and profound mystery of these vast landscapes, where extremes of nature converge to create environments of unparalleled wonder. From the icy expanses of the Arctic and Antarctic to the sun-scorched sands of the Kalahari and Sahara, these artworks transcend the literal to evoke the spirit and soul of each desert.

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The Arctic	The Sahara	The Antarctic
The Kalahari

A Jumble of Abstracts is a collection of abstract artworks that unlike my other abstracts has no particular theme. But even though there is no relevant theme, I believe they express much in the way of emotions, ideas, and intellectual depth.

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