There is a beautiful painting of a face under there. It’s vibrant, vital, and has a lot of interesting colors and shapes to share. But the spark, albeit the tiniest glimmer in the eyes, has been covered up. Muddied and spray painted with opaqueness, it’s frustrating to look at what could be a joyful being, swallowed by apathy. Sinking into the cold coppery abyss without any care for saving oneself. It’s difficult to see the face clearly. You may want to, but just can’t. And the painting can barely see you. Sort of sums up sadness and depression to me.

This abstract painting of a sad or depressed face was painted with acrylics and spray paint on a masonite board. The painting is approximately 12″x16″.

P.S. So as not to alarm concerned viewers, I’m not depressed, but might have been when I painted this image. People, being the social creatures we are, are naturally inclined to assume art reflects personality or state of mind. And while that may be partly true, I give more credit to people’s ability to overcome obstacles after giving amnesty to fears.

Special thanks to the unspoken viewers who’ve given me the attention I needed to heal. Push for joy.

~Michael

This is an abstract portrait painting of an Art Goddess. The artwork is 9″x12″ and was created with pens, watercolor, paint pens, and markers. Multiple layers of medium were energetically and organically built up to create an abstract female face, with broad strokes of watercolor and detailed pen lines used to push and pull the space. The essence of creativity is playfully depicted as an Art Goddess, with the face as an almost universally recognizable lead in to the visual art.

As I’ve grown into art, I realized that I have developed a deliberate way of expressing myself visually. Perhaps the same way that some have a deeper understanding of other tools for expression and communication, like math, language, or music. I feel a deep appreciation for those other creative processes, even though I don’t understand the intricacies of them, I know there are areas of overlap and mutual insight. So I added a few subtle reminders of other tools that enrich and nurture visual art.

I also wondered, if more people were taught to convey emotions or concepts via color and shape more consistently, what new ways of thinking about the world would we discover? What unknown creativity awaits behind the Goddess’ eyes? And what flashes behind yours?

These are two 9″x12″ abstract portraits of artist Frank Calloway, drawn and painted with pen, ink, markers, colored pencils, and watercolors. Dina Kerik’s Deepwater Journal alerted me to the story of Frank and the reference image for the artworks.

I was inspired by his passion for drawing, which started when he was 86 years old. Frank Calloway turned 112 years old on July 2, 2008, and art continues to be a part his life. I also like the youthful quality of his drawings, and the consistency hints at a very mature, organized, and creatively patterned style.

High quality giclée prints of each portrait are available at ImageKind.