Abstract Diptych Project

I’ve always been fascinated with process. I like watching something start from nothing and seeing it grow in to something special.

But, I never had the courage to share my own process in public. I’ve often opted to post “finished” or “nearly finished” works – be it writing, painting, scrapbook, collage, or craft.

I guess, it’s because when you share a process, you commit yourself to seeing it until the end.

Now, I want to make that commitment.

You see, I’ve been meaning to finish this diptych painting that I mentioned in this blog entry. I bought these two blank pre-stretched canvases (size: 1 metre x 1 metre each) over a year ago. I wanted to paint them for our lounge. But, until now, they remain blank and untouched.

In the beginning, we hung this big batik painting from Thailand that was a gift to my husband from my sister-in-law. While the painting often invited conversations from visitors, my husband and I agreed that it didn’t seem right in that place. This is how it looked like (hanging behind the couch):

So, as a way to push myself to start working on the canvases, I asked my husband to remove the batik painting and hang the two empty canvases as a reminder of what I haven’t done yet. In the meantime, we’re calling these pieces “Emperor’s New Paintings”.

These blank canvases must’ve been hanging there for about a month now. And, a day hasn’t gone by without me thinking about my unfinished work.

At this time, I’ve been doing some sketches and doodles – brainstorming for ideas. Here are some sample sketches:

Yes, based on these sketches, I’m leaning towards geometric abstraction – like these abstract paintings I made. But, I’m still wondering if I should do something a bit more representational. You know, pictures that people can actually recognise even if they’re still in abstract form. I like doing these a lot. However, I don’t want to do any interiors, florals, or women.

Anyway, I’ll keep posting updates here whenever possible. Now that I’ve committed myself to sharing the process for creating these paintings, I have more reason to keep working on them.