Abstract Painting Class

HYPERACTIVE

i took an abstract painting class with Jeffery Kronsnoble today at the morris museum of art in Augusta ...they have a very nice exhibit of his paintings..ranging from the beginning of his career to current work.A retired University of S Florida professor who lives in the N GA mountains near Clayton (Tiger, GA) Kronsnoble has a wide range of style which you can see if you click on his name...he does abstracts as well as very realistic paintings with meticulous details..and then these off the wall collage paintings...they resemble torn and cut paper collaged together usually with a uniting them...he even leaves rims of white paper around the "cutouts" or "tears" them so they look like they are really paper...sometimes he starts them with actual paper and junk collaged together...and paints them...or more frequently now he uses photoshop to collage pictures together...very interesting technique......he also does things like painted on silk mounted on a board for years....he said yesterday that he FINALLY changed to canvas in the last ten years....

when he starts painting he starts with a idea frequently a black and white pic from the atlanta journal or other newspaper...he may or may not sketch it in ...and sometimes turning it upside down...he consiers his lights/darks...going for CONTRAST as a key element in his paintings...then he considers structure-lines diagonals...he goes between the painting being too nice and too chaotic...considers it like doodling...his other main tip was to take any color and add black

A finished Kronsnoble

Another Kronsnoble
I really like this one with all its diagonals and interesting things going on and the high contrast with the black corner and golds...and the white of the canvas

Kronsnobles class work-the white area is what he did when he wiped out the first of his painting...of course its NOT done yet...he rarely works in acrylic so it was giving him problems although he had been practicing like a good teacher before class painting the first two paintings just for class...

he works mainly in oil but because this was a one day workshop we were using acrylic ....we got to watch him work...he works slowly metticulously and often wipes out whole areas of the canvas that he does not like

I painted three acrylic "abstracts"-you be the judge...i know the first one is not sure the other two are....anyway i painted them quickly with a large cheap flat brush from Nasco ..the first one took the longest-the other two were quicker...we painted so many paintings we went thru the canvases furnished by the morris and had to send out for more...and then i used that one up and Mary gave me her extra one...



this was the first abstract i did today...i think its pretty interesting although its really wild and hmmm hyperactive...lots of stuff going on...it started from a picture of a pile of doors and windows and an old chest on chest...even doorknobs...and chandeliers...can you find them? a bed post or two...I did think harder about this one increasing all the diagonals...and going for more contrast then the next one...

perhaps this one is too chaotic but he did not think so...he said that i had got it and i should just run with it..that sometimes that happened in a class...a student knew what to do and the teacher did not need to critique it...did i get a big head:> well only a second...thinking back on all those art classes UGA where a compliment of any kind was thin and far and few between! Art teachers can be VERY critical!


can you find the flag...i think this painting works either way


everyone including the teacher loved this one...i do think the right hand side is a little weak...needs more darks...or i dont know...this picutre does need something.its all too monotone...as in the same tone....based on this picture of hamburgers..well ithink they are hamburgers...as you can see these pictures rarely resemble the original...except in a vague way which is why its ok to use these as a starting point

my original magazine picture

this is my favorite and mary v's fav...my other painting friend...the "other" margaret had to go to NY to a wedding...she really wanted to be here at this class...but could not....i was to take good notes...i was going to originally make this a study in brown straight lines intersecting...but then when i was refilling my pallette i discovered this absolutely beautiful dioza something purple...who could spell that word so early in the morning...i did this one quickly with a huge flat...a cheap one at that....it was too much fun...combine the colors orange purple and lime and fun is bound to follow isnt it...once again it does not look a bit like the original pic...other than a table and chairs...
the original of the chairs...i think its from an old better homes and garden