In abstract art there is no clearly defined wrong or right. Everyone and everything can be seen in the abstract. There are no rules to speak of for taking up a brush and palette of paint and doing what your imagination tells you to do.  Of course, there is always the REAL world beckoning you to adhere to the notions of "what is"; the important thing for you to realize is the need to let go of your basic notions of what a masterpiece should be and to find instead the drive to create a visual interpretation of what you feel at the moment. One of the key mistakes made with painting abstract imagery is to try to represent something literal and to rely on technique alone.  While you still create a type of art this way, it is not abstract. I will go into a few ideas here on how to approach abstract painting.

"It's just a state of mind" © Robyn Weinrib 2013, with permission,
See more at her artist blog.

When creating a piece you can draw inspiration from a state of mind or a desired reaction to develop a theme.  For instance you may decide to have an Egyptian theme, so then you would use abstractions from commonly associated imagery of Egypt such as pyramids, the sphinx, palm trees, the Nile, the Eye of Horus, ankhs, etc. The images will come through being open to what your imagination conjures up.  These are images set apart from the common experience of reality as we know it.  Some pieces of abstract art help the viewer relax while others may have very busy imagery.  Abstract paintings strive to make the art's viewer have their own interpretations and apply their emotional responses to them.  Remember you do not want to be overly accurate in your depictions of the images, but to subtly suggest them.


Another idea is to take something most people see daily such as a tree, a street sign or a fire hydrant - something familiar - and think of another way to look at it.  How would someone who had never seen this object before relate to it?  What would be its perceived function?  Inter-playing naive assumptions of known shapes can help you paint something that is normally instantly recognized in an different way that provokes thought to come to the realization of what it is. This is similar to the impressionist style of depicting a subject, however, not as directly related to realism.  Abstract is not quite surreal when used this way either.  It is on the verge of the line between impressionism and surrealism.

If you are feeling exceptionally creative, you may want to paint an abstract that tells a story by combining images that may have a meaning together that would not be considered on their own.  The story told can also have the quality of bringing new perspective and emotional reactions combined.  In this manner you would have both the ideas explored in the previous paragraphs developed into your painting.  And as a matter of fact, many stories could be interpreted from the finished abstract piece despite if you intended one or not.  Actually having one in mind might increase the story-capacity tenfold.

Another approach, that seems to be self-exploratory, is to just freely develop your painting as you go along.  Yes, I am saying make it up as you go; it is a natural and intuitive way to create art.  Sometimes when using this method, an artist will find a theme, or an emotion, or story, or all of these and then more.

Even though I have stated at the start of this article that there are no particular rules involved with the creation of abstract art, it is absolutely beneficial to have some training in fine arts. I was informed about this by my artist contact Elisa Gomez regarding her personal development as a fine artist.  She tells me she was initially very skeptical as an abstract artist about needing to learn skills in her Still Life classes. Her teacher, an accomplished abstract artist himself, informed her that elements such as color theory and triangulation used in still life "are tools that can be manipulated in abstraction for a deeper more meaningful work."  At the time, she thought this was absurd, yet has come to find that in practice her teacher was very correct! Elisa tells me that "while traditional techniques seem far and away from abstract art - those very tools help me to take my work from interesting to captivating."

Painting abstract art can be a way to go both into and out of subjects and a series could easily develop if you even go farther and break them down.  The main idea is that a thought or even just a pure essence of a thought is being expressed in a visual format. The color or lack of color, the texture, the interplay of the shapes in the painting, these are all manipulated by paintbrush and read by the mind's eye.

Read more about abstract art in this article: Abstract Art - How to Define It?  How do YOU define it?

Abstract art could be referred to as a creative method of illustrating an artist's view of the world not just the physical but also the ethereal. 

Fugue / Fuga,Wassily Kandinsky  1914
image courtesy of Beyeler Foundation

In contrast to other art forms, abstract art emphasizes ideas or imagination, expressed on canvas or other mediums. It is these ideas in their native abstract state that are not transformed into set-in-stone representation. It is very tricky to be able to create something in an actual substantive format with intangible characteristics. For starters, the artist must be in touch with their emotions enough to know exactly what feeling they want to convey.

Art that is abstract is created when an artist gives their thoughts and imagination a physical manifestation. These are then painted on canvas, drawn or shaped into the form of abstract art. Such types of art must depict stimulating images for other people to interplay in their minds and connect to in some specific way. It is just then that the art's true purpose is served. By using simple or complex shapes, colors and forms, it becomes possible for an abstract artist to create a piece of art for the purpose intended.

With so many people facing so much stress in today's frenzied world, abstract art can be a great means to vent out one's unexpressed emotions and to express oneself on canvas successfully in place of using sentences or words. You may wish to approach abstract art as a therapeutic type of hobby. There are 4 basic components to abstract art: sketching or drawing, perspective, color theory, and tools and procedures. These play a vital role in this particular form of art. Generally considered to be a very liberal form of modern art, abstract art does not emphasize the techniques or expertise that artists use of to create representative art but it does not exclude it either.

One thing that cannot be overlooked is the use of colors. Combining the colors to give the artwork the right intensity is a significant aspect to be remembered while creating abstract art. This is not to say that one cannot produce fine abstract imagery with only black and white, but again that is a matter of mastery. If you are just starting out colors are great for evoking feeling and are very important in giving the art the right impact. An important though typically not assumed fact is the effect that fine art training can have on an abstract artist's abilities. For instance, basic still life and portrait theories which are required classes for many art students may seem unnecessary to an artist already into creating in the abstract style. One such artist, Elisa Gomez ,tells me about her experience: 

"The teacher was a successful and very talented abstract artist and someone I felt I could be straight with. I asked him at the beginning of the semester (we had a history of classes at that point and he knew my style) if he felt it was truly necessary for me to take this class. He adamantly told me yes- yes, you need to know color theory, triangulation and many other elements to make a good still life. They are tools that can be manipulated in abstraction for a deeper more meaningful work. He was absurdly correct. What I am trying to say is while traditional techniques seem far and away from abstract art- those very tools help me to take my work from interesting to captivating." 

The emphasis in abstract art is focused on the artist's perspective of how they see the world. The feelings of the artist along with the knowledge of the aforementioned basic components should be enough for producing some form of abstract art. The more ideas and emotions stirred up in others upon viewing your work is a good gauge of how well your efforts turn out.  For some tips to getting started read 4 Tips for Painting Abstracts.