There are some wonderful treasures that present themselves to artists.

I start my paintings with a layer of playfully random marks. After each layer I take a photo for my records. Occasionally, there’s a painting that draws my attention more strongly, keeps me absorbed, finding more and more areas of interest. Sections to use as focus areas, places to hold a viewer’s attention or to spark ideas for new work. Indeed, my Instagram feed is loaded with such images!

The details or areas of greater interest that I speak of here are happenstance, random and unplanned. Yet, they forthrightly demand my attention, my glance and my imagination. Often, on a scale much greater and stronger than those that I could plan.

Chance details are suggestive, not prescribed. They are open, often ambiguous and beautiful to look at. They leave much to the viewer to determine for themselves. It’s an adventure where everyone’s interpretation can be their own.

Have you experienced circumstances where one person can see something in an image, yet others must strain, not visually, but imaginatively, to see it? It’s one reason why I have come to enjoy non-realistic or abstract paintings so much. I know there is great skill in painting realistically because I have attempted it myself. I also know artists that “do” realism to perfection. Now though, I much prefer to create art that leaves a lot of the interpretation to the viewer and let’s me create with freedom.

I like to think that my past experience and knowledge emerge automatically to help me as I create. (Learning to trust yourself and your judgement is the key I think.) It leaves room for a more relaxed, playful process. Treasures and chance effects can emerge into the openness of abstract creation but they would be locked away should I insist on depicting purely what I see.

“The devil is in the detail” they say! Concentrate on the detail too much and it will be to the detriment of the whole image, stifling any sense of creative freedom. Too much fussy detail will do the same, giving the viewer too much to interpret or worse still, nothing to interpret! Of course detail overkill can happen with any painting.

By the same token though, a beautifully executed hyper realistic painting can take your breath away. In these works the detail serves a purpose, it’s not included just for the sake of it, to prop up a poor design, or because it’s there and the artist’s eye sees it all. These details work with everything else in the painting to unify the whole work, not to “rescue” it.

It can definitely be a challenge walking the fine line between just enough and overkill.

A bit of Luck!

“Veil” is exhibited at the Huon Art Awards at Cygnet here in Tassie. To my surprise it was awarded Highly Commended in the Acrylic Section. The exhibition is in the Cygnet Town Hall, open daily 10 to 4 until 20 March.

New Work

“Revelation” is available unframed on Bluethumb. Bluethumb offer an easy to use framing service where your artwork is framed during its journey to you.

“Another Turn” is a small 20x20cm ready to hang painting that I’ve listed this week.

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Click here to find out about exhibitions Wendy currently has work in.

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