A Closer Look at Color: Finding Your Way into Abstract Art

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Color is often the first thing that draws us to a painting. Before we notice individual marks or begin thinking about meaning, we respond to the feeling of the work. A vivid orange might energize us. A soft blue might invite us to linger. Together, those colors can create an entirely different experience.

In my abstract paintings, color is central to the conversation. I’m interested in how one color changes in the presence of another, how a quiet passage balances a more expressive area, and how the eye moves through a composition.

Begin with what catches your attention

People sometimes feel they need to “understand” an abstract painting before they can appreciate it. I suggest starting with what you see and feel.

Where does your eye go first? Is there a color that reminds you of a place, a season, or a memory? Does the painting feel lively, contemplative, or unsettled?

There is no need to arrive at an answer immediately. Sometimes the most rewarding part of looking at art is allowing your response to develop.

Move between the details and the whole

Try looking at a painting from a distance, then moving closer. From across the room, you might notice its overall rhythm. Up close, a small mark, an unexpected color, or a layered edge may become the focus.

Those shifts in attention can reveal relationships you didn’t see at first. A seemingly small detail may change your experience of the entire painting.

For me, abstraction leaves room for discovery—both in making the work and in viewing it. What I bring to a painting is only part of its story. Your experiences and associations become part of the conversation.

Explore my abstract paintings and notice which colors ask you to stay a little longer.