Category: abstract

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Symphony

"Cynosure" abstract mixed media painting on paper by contemporary artist Maura SatchellThis is a mixed media abstract work of art started as an airbrush painting. I loved the colors, the ethereal quality to it, but wasn’t sure where to take it. Cut to this year and rainy weather and my bag of tricks — charcoal, gouache, ink and pastels, and voila! I give you “Symphony”, on 11″ x 15″ paper.

Not for the faint of heart, this painting would look wonderful in a home or office interior that needs a punch of color. A large custom giclee print of this work looks enchanting in its new home and may give you an idea of how this wall art might fit with your home or office design.

Cynosure in situ

Newly completed, this work is available for sale through me or Saatchi where you can also purchase smaller sized fine art prints or canvas duplicates. For accessories and larger size prints, check out the offerings at this link.

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Aspirational

aspirational LRTropical storm Alberto brought boatloads of rain this past week which meant some great moody painting sessions. From it, “Aspirational” was born.

This painting, 11″ x 14″ mixed media / oil on paper, is an abstract work of art using pastel tones with pink, peach, and an under layer with hints of soft greens and blues.

The original art is for sale direct from the artist, yours truly. Or purchase 9″ x 12″ fine art paper prints for $49 or larger 12″ x 16″ canvas prints (black canvas wrap color) for $110 from Saatchi Art.

Aspirational abstract painting by artist Maura Satchell

Want to go bigger with a print?  Here’s what it might look like in a larger size print or canvas copy available from Fine Art America. The largest size available is 30″ x 20″.

Love the colors, but rather see it in a throw pillow? For $22 there at Fine Art America, you can get a 14″ x 14″ accent pillow. Fine Art America has a myriad of other product offerings using the “Aspirational” design, and they make great gifts! We’re talking gorgeous shower curtains, unique round beach towels, carry-all pouches, bath towels, phone cases, tote bags, mugs, gorgeous yoga mats, spiral notebooks and fleece blankets. Here’s what it would look like as a one of a kind weekender tote bag:

aspirational-maura-satchell weekender tote bag
Need a great gift idea? Consider this weekender tote bag using “Aspirational” design by Contemporary Artist Maura Satchell.

If you love the idea of a unique work of art such as Aspirational, let’s talk! As mentioned, this painting is for sale, or perhaps you’d like something similar but in a different pallette. I hold slots for commissioned works and have a few available in the coming months.

 

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Gossamer Wings

 

Quiet Yearning LR

Gossamer Wings is a soft-colored mixed media abstract painting using oil pastels, acrylic paint, charcoal, graphite and ink on 11 x 15 inches 140gsm archival paper created in an abstract expressionist style using techniques akin to Jackson Pollock with hints of Willem De Kooning.

The original is for sale directly from me or Saatchi’s online gallery which also offers various high quality print products. Other products — a shower curtain, duvet cover, pillows, and more are even available through Fine Art America.

Love it, but don’t need to make a purchase? Crow about it to your friends and be sure to follow me on your favorite social media platforms, be they Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.

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When the fog breaks

New abstract acrylic painting on canvas using softer colors and palette knife.  I love this!

when the fog lifts LR

The signed original is 16 x 20 x .75 on gallery wrapped canvas and is available directly from the blog at a discounted $395. Through Saatchi, it is offered at $1175. Saatchi also offers museum quality giclee prints and canvas prints too in case that interests you.

In addition to those prints, if you love this painting and think the design would fit your decor but want a more affordable option, other items, including notecards, other prints, throw pillows, duvet covers, shower curtains, tote bags, notebooks and cell phone covers, are available here.

 

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Sanctuary

Sanctuary - mixed media artwork by Maura SatchellIt’s been a while, travel, the holidays, taxes and more have kept me way busier than I’d like but I was recently able to complete this painting I have been working on for a very, very long time. I am drawn to religious symbols and iconography from my very Catholic youth. You see, going to church on weekday mornings, in addition to Sunday mornings, was not unusual.

Cut to my adult years when clergy sexual abuse scandals and the coverups of those scandals became prevalent in mainstream news and I found it very difficult to continue to …

But the icons, the veil, the sacristy, the altar, the stained glass windows and stations of the cross and holy communion and confession continued to percolate beneath my subconscious. In search of a world where peace and respect for one another and humanity and generosity and reverence of all mankind (after all, we are ALL God’s creatures), has been replaced by biting cynicism, isolationism, xenophobia, and a lack of respect for humankind, I created “Sanctuary”.  Soft colors, graceful curves, sturdy foundations, windows and doors (and a pathway to follow from closed window to open doorway) and crucifixes.

Sanctuary is a mixed media piece on paper, 11″ x 15″, signed. It is available for sale at $350 direct from me, or $725 from one of my two online galleries, Saatchi, where art prints and canvas reprints are also available, and through Fine Art America, where the image is available in a myriad of creative formats, from prints to shower curtains, decorative throw pillows and even pencil cases.

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Beyond the confines

beyond the confinesLR

Beyond the confines lies a land of wonderment, joy and beauty. That’s the essence of this mixed media painting, an interplay of charcoal, graphite, ink, acrylic paint on archival gsm 140 wt. paper.

Original for sale through me here at a discount or assorted “merch” can be had in this via online galleries Fine Art America and Saatchi.

In terms of process, this one evolved over a few months. I’d work a layer, set it aside, mull it over for a while, then come back to it. I think I like the sgrafitto in contrast to the flowing, meandering pigment below and obviously, that’s what gave rise to the title of this one.  I also love the push-pull and contrast of the cool/warm and light/dark. More than anything else, though, I love the minimalist bent of this, and the use of very few colors, while blending wet into wet for tonal variations.

Do you like this style? I have a few more works in the red / white / black minimalist vein, a couple of which you can check out in the Browse & Buy tab above or here.

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>Process

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It’s been five days and the leaf prints I have been working on produced some striking results!.  They are really time consuming and unpredictable in their outcome, however.  I will put up an album with final works in the near future but I am unable to replicate in photograph the metallic sheen and luminosity that bounces off some of these gorgeous prints.

While working on these, I definitely made some mechanical errors (like weighting down the prints far too long in too great of heat, producing some fusion of materials that made it impossible to use some of them).  Next time, I’ll know to work with fewer sheets, remove the weights quicker, and allow each to dry individually under lighter weights.

Once the prints dried, I sorted them all and pulled out the “frame-worthy ones” which either were prefect as is or required some simple outline work with paints and fine markers to punch them up and make the subject pop.  Final step is selecting mats.  The picture above shows two mats I had on hand and was just tooling around with them to check how they’d work around some prints I had completed. I will need to purchase a mat cutter before too long. Any suggestions readers? 

Back to process:  those prints that aren’t deemed “standalone frameworthy,” I either incorporate into abstract work, as in the photo to the right, or will use in collage work.  Toward that end, I’ve been collecting and categorizing scraps, other materials, washi, and other papers. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this weekend is it for collage work. Can’t wait!

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>Fun with color!

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I’ve had this certain, lovely silk scarf for a number of years now.  It’s one of my favorites and I can’t recall where I got it. What I love about it are the colors – blues, greens, and touches of purple.  It became a source of inspiration for this, my first real abstract painting.

I’d painted one abstract before, a real “strokey” kind of thing with splashes of color laid down by the brush.  Here, though, I wanted to work with blocks of color.  And draw from the inspiration of that lovely scarf.

I worked on this in class and Hazel, in her roundabout way, shared her thoughts on abstracts.  Her teacher, a well-regarded artist and creative director for a number of leading fashion publications, took her to a show one time.  Must’ve been 40-50 years ago.  She told him someone else she listened to in the art world claimed abstract art would be a flash in the pan and die out soon.  Her mentor (Pops, she calls him), took her to this show of a brilliant abstract artist (sorry, didn’t catch the name) and in Hazel’s words “tears came into my eyes!”

She said it was the colors that moved her so, but she learned the importance of allowing a color to flow behind another color, to weave in and out as if intertwined.  And as I worked, she reminded me to allow the paint to mix on the canvas, not on the pallet.  I’m so thankful for her little “minuette” lessons.  Before I painted this, I never gave much credence to abstract painting, perceiving it as just paint slapped onto a canvas.  But as I worked, I gave so much thought to each “layer” I added it took more time than many traditional paintings I’ve done.  I call it “The Produce Aisle” since the bright fuschia/magenta color in the lower right side resembles, to my mind, a watermelon with its repetitive strokes of black erupting from the reds as seeds.

I love this work and enjoy looking at it since there is so much to explore.  I hope you like it too!