Recently I've been interested in the patterns made with overlapping lines that can be filled in with color to draw the eye across a canvas. I usually begin by painting a solid background color and letting it dry before beginning to draw the lines. In "Concatenation," I painted the whole canvas yellow. Then I drew lines in white, gray and black.
I was conscious, while filling in spaces with white, gray and black paint, of the patterns and connections being made between shapes. There are various paths set up, depending on whether you follow the white, the gray, or the black connections.
Concatenation, 60" x 40"
In "Pecking Order Triptych," I painted three vertical canvases, each 10" x 48," in a light teal for the background. Then I drew the lines in white, lime, teal and Prussian Blue. I worked on all three canvases at once, developing each color pattern on all three before going to the next color. By working on them all at the same time, I was able to ensure that the three panels would work together as a whole when hung side by side. They also work if spaced further apart, depending on the room and space they are hung.
In "Sea Escape," which is a very large canvas (72" x 46"), I painted the background a light blue. Then I drew lines in white and Prussian Blue. This painting was more problematic, perhaps because of its large size. I filled in spaces with white, pale green, a darker green, a medium blue, and Prussian Blue. Sometimes I had to paint over one color because it didn't work. Finally, I felt I'd gotten to the point where the image worked as a whole as well as in its parts.
Sea Escape, 72" x 46"
Which of the above abstract pattern paintings do you think is most successful? Which one appeals to you the most?