Figurative or Abstract Art?

I hope to hear your opinion about the your choice in art. Are you more drawn to abstract ( really a misnomer, because most of the art I see labeled as such is really non-objective) or figurative images?

I have been participating in a Face Book challenge to post 3 images a day for 5 days. The "abstract"art received many likes and comments and the figurative, almost nothing; yet in our recent gallery show, more of my figurative works sold than the abstract. It is curious. It won't influence my moving back and forth from each style. Beautiful figurative art stops me in my tracks and I also enjoy an abstract that has meaning; a message for me.

Here are some images of paintings that span many years; some recent and some old. All are either entirely encaustic or encaustic and oil.

Classical art training

Casein painting, 1953

I appreciate all the intense art training I got in school. This traning now allows me to move from figurative art to abstract with ease. Those were the days when we were taught to really see by drawing accurately. We were only allowed to use black and white in our first semester. The object or the skeleton had to first be completely understood and transferred to paper through pencil, ink or charcoal. The next semester oil and casein paint and color was introduced into our work.

For the first final exam in anatomy we had to draw the bones of the body by memory and the second semester we had to draw all the muscles.
 
I still have one of my early drawings from 1952 and a small casein painting done the next
semester. I learned more from the struggle on that painting than almost anything else in art school. My teacher emotionally tormented me to get me out of my "know it all" attitude. There is a long story around this painting and the only one I will not sell.

pencil drawing, 1952

The Party is Over

We had help from 3 friends yesterday to clear out the gallery, move all the paintings and encaustic equiptment out of the gallery, patch the nail holes and paint.

Although I think I am getting too old to be working this much everyday, it certainly was a good experience; being back in the gallery business. I owned 2 galleries in the States, Cynthia has been an art dealer for 18 years and we worked well together. Many people dicovered the encaustic process, learned the history of encasutic, got to touch the glass-like surfaces of Cynthia's paintings, sign up for workshops, and buy paintings.

I don't have photos of Cynthia's sold paintings, but here are some of my sold ones.

Gallery show closing Friday

What a full time this has been. We have been in the gallery everyday but last Monday. That was Cynthia's birthday and we had a dinner party for friends. Cynthia did all the cooking and it was incredible.

And this was just the appetizers

 

 

We are having a closing party Friday. If you are in the vicinity of beautiful San Miguel de Allende, stop in for a glass of champagne and choose any painting for 20% off the retail price.  There will be 5 new pieces of art for the silent Auction.

It has been many years since I worked in a gallery and it has been a wonderful experience. We made many contacts, good sales and I have been asked to teach at the Art Institute. Visual art need to be seen and experienced. Cynthia has been working in the front room. People are fascinated with the encaustic process and love watching her fuse the layers with the torch.

The Opening Reception was packed

Here are some shots from opening night. There were lots of people, champagne, popcorn and Cynthia had sales. We will have the show up until January 16th.

Cynthia's room