Making Of An Abstract Painting In Pink by Maxim Grunin. Step 2

Color value at the top is lighter. I painted that first because I want the almost white pink to be very clean, without the darker grades showing in it. Painting light areas is always done with a fresh brush otherwise the old left over colors at the top of the bristles would get into the pure one. I block the entire canvas in before starting to blend the tones together. Having the entire painting under control oppose to just working on small bits until they are done is more productive. This way I can compose and build my work as a whole. Stepping back to evaluate my progress is a must.

Background is done and now I put in the marks that introduce movement. The paint strokes are brushed at different angles with a general vertical direction. I want to feel like I am "lifting up" looking at this new painting. It seems a bit boring if the strokes would just move up and down or if they were too controlled by me. I give in to impulses to make odd gestures that produce more spontaneous strokes. Anything that comes out from underneath my brush is still governed by the physicality of the artist's body. The marks are just more or less conscious under different circumstances. In the end, I have to somehow like what I'm making. I keep an open mind and look for these wonderful discoveries about my own work as I create it.

Making Of An Abstract Painting In Pink by Maxim Grunin. Step 3

I use that soft wider brush to gently blur the entire surface of the artwork together. I really like the way the oil paint looks when it is blended this way. Gerhard Richter is my influential source for using this and other methods of moving paint. Looking at the medium blurred  in a soft misty way can be exquisitely enchanting. There is oil like fines to it. The painting I am making is largely intended as an object of decor, something to have around a living space. I want it to be pleasurable and subtle rather then a statement of artistic expression. 

The next task is to build up some textural, even more expressive marks. This is a job for the palette knife. I am adding new elements and colors to the smooth first layers of paint. Having life long studio experience I know, that I will always for sure understand it when my painting is complete. I am waiting for the balance the conditions of which are only known to me. Take a breather. Put the piece away. Forget all about it. Then the next day see it with the fresh eyes and voila - it either feels done or it shows me exactly what is missing.

Here are some details of the painting. The interaction between the smoothly blended ground and the more coarse raised marks enhances the depth of the painting's surface. The addition of blue-gray removes the monochromatic feel from the piece. Suddenly this painting seems more colorful. I get a precious luster of a pearl from some of the areas in the artwork. I throw some paint to produce the more accidental spills and drips. It would be ideal if this painting was quiet and poetic so that the viewer could relax around it. Being reserved when painting a piece like this is important so I don't overload it with visual information.