An Abstract - Learning to Stop

Last night (1-13-2018) I wanted to paint an abstract.  I wanted it to have curved lines and shading so that it would look painted rather than paint slapped on a canvas with no rhyme or reason.  I've seen so many abstracts that have no point of interest.  The artist might have had a plan, but it didn't translate to the viewer. 

I started off with curved lines.

Then I filled in spaces with different colors.  Once that was done, I started "fracturing" lines - both with the paintbrush and with a palette knife.  So - so.  I wasn't thrilled, but it was okay.



Then I did some slashes of color.  For some reason the shape on the left -blue with the red center, reminded me of "lady parts," and the shape to the right -the red with orange below it and green below that, looked like a hamburger to me.  So I wanted to change it enough because once I saw those shapes, that was all I could see.




I started the long strokes -which I didn't particularly like.



Finally, I put in some hooks and called it a night.  This will either go in my burn pile, or I will paint over it.  Totally forgettable.  All it says to me is to think through color choices a little more. Up until the final couple of stages, I was enjoying it, but then it became a matter of changing parts I didn't like, and it became something I didn't like at all.  Now it kinda reminds me of a crab - with those jointed legs going off towards the left.  What a mess!