4/29/18 – This evening, I get to teach a painting workshop about abstract Art. I must say I am very excited about this class. I have never taught a workshop that is centered around abstraction and a desire to learn more about that specific focus in Art. I feel like I have been preparing for this class for 20 years or so. Of all the different subjects I have taught, this might be the most important.
I allege that we as a culture have not yet come to terms with abstraction and the power it wields. We are still, largely, tied to the representative image in our main vocabulary or understanding of painting. We have made strides of the century, but there is still so much to be learned about Art through the application of abstraction.
I attest that abstraction engages another part of the brain that representational recognition does not. It engages the eyes, heart, mind, emotions, and all of the other things that are affected by Art with the language of cognition. To understand abstraction is to understand a universe beyond our own ideas.
In addition to sharing this class and my ideas on the subject with others, I am grateful for this opportunity to better articulate and understand my own relationship with abstraction. I appreciate the opportunities to grow that are offered by teaching…