My transformation began during Senior Year of college in 2016.
I started the year with an interdisciplinary major, which was amazing because I was able to choose my own advisor in the painting department as well as write my own thesis for the body of work that I was thinking to create. My thesis explained my desire to explore creating abstract artwork. I believed the abstract style and idea would allow me to explore new ways of art making while releasing any hesitation I felt.
The professor I chose at the Hartford Art School was Power Boothe. Power’s work is represented in public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the Whitney Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His paintings and drawings are composed of abstract geometric lines, shapes and colors, which intrigued me.
The art of creating abstract art is different for all of us. For me, creating abstract art means to clear my mind completely, and then strike at the surface with my oil pastel and brush.
The beginning of the semester started off a bit rough. I filled my head with too many ideas of what I wanted to paint or draw and was hesitant to even stand in front of a canvas. The art that I was creating looked too “forced”. There was something missing completely…until one day.
On this very day, I withdrew from my traditional habits of sketching the idea on the canvas beforehand, and instead totally cleared my mind. I first started by drawing on the paper with oil pastel. After a minute went by, I looked down, and realized that I had a drawn random colorful lines and shapes. This was the moment something in me completely changed. I had actually created a piece of my own abstract artwork. It was a liberating feeling, and my advisor Power said it was a great start. So I continued drawing lines and shapes of many colors with my oil pastels and no planned outcome in my mind. Doing a few of these drawings, I thought it might be nice to add some color, so I picked up my watercolor brush and painted away.
BOOM! It was another outstanding breakthrough in my artwork.
The oil from the colorful pastel and the rich watercolor did not blend, yet supported one another. There was so much light and energy coming from within the painting. I was on a roll produced the now called “Energy Painting”, within minutes. I continued creating more, and after 1 hour went by I had created at least 20 Energy Paintings. I took them to an open drawing room in the art school and pinned them to a big white wall all in a row, and then Power walked into the room. He was very impressed and believed that I had found my own abstract style. From there on, I continued experimenting with the Energy Series styles and variations. Who knows where the next one will lead me to.
Now as I continue my future as an artist, I have recently been creating “Energy Paintings” without actually seeing. I close my eyes, breathe and start drawing and there is always an element of surprise when I open my eyes and look at the drawing. Like many artists, I have built a personal bond with my artwork.