News: Very pleased to announce I will be in the Art in America Annual Guide to Galleries, Museums, and Artists, available September, 2011. Art in America is one of the top US art magazines, and I'm very honored to be included in this year's issue.
Abstraction in creative endeavors has existed since prehistoric times, and abstract art is the origin of all art. Human beings did not start out making two- and three- dimensional creations with markings of pristine realism. Of course, when we think of abstract art today, we think of The Abstract Art Movement at the beginning of the 20th century. The truth is, abstraction exists in all art, even the most exacting realism. An artist must see each part of realism as non- objective, or purely as line, shape, tone, and hue in relationship to one another. Whether the realist does this consciously or unconsciously, this abstraction process exists in all art.
___________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT: Some Definitions
Abstract art is starkly set apart by that one little word: "abstract". With the creation of the abstract art style (which in reality existed long before the term "abstract art" was utilized), artists of the 20th century were given new license to explore the freedom of the abstract world.
While the etymology of a word is not considered a definition, the origins of a word are very important. The source and beginnings of the word abstract, and when the term "abstract art" was created, are explained here:
Action painting is an abstract style of art also called "gestural abstraction”, a form of abstract expressionism. Instead of careful or meticulous application, the artist energetically rubs, drips, or splashes paint onto a surface. It is a very physical form of abstract art. In fact, it is often an extremely messy process.
