When a painting has no face, yet still tells a story

“I don’t understand abstract art.”

It is something I hear quite often in my studio.

And do you know what?

I always just smile. Because I do not think we need to understand an abstract painting. What matters far more is what it awakens in us.

Perhaps that is precisely why abstract painting fascinates me so much.

Everyone sees something different in a painting

Two people stand before it.

One says they see a calm sea at sunset.

The other discovers a storm or a childhood memory in those same colours.

And neither is wrong.

An abstract painting has no single right answer. It does not tell us what to think. It leaves room for our imagination, emotions and memories.

That is where its magic lies.

A painting does not have to depict something to say something

When I paint a portrait, the aim is to capture a person.

When I paint an abstract work, I try to capture a feeling.

Sometimes it is joy.

At other times, it is calm, courage, energy or a period in someone’s life that they are currently going through.

Emotions cannot always be painted through a face. Sometimes colours, layers or bold texture created with a brush and palette knife express them far better.

That is another reason I am drawn back to abstract work time and again.

Every layer has its meaning

When you look closely at an abstract painting, you may discover something that is entirely invisible from a distance.

Delicate brushstrokes.

A bold palette-knife mark.

A colour deliberately left just barely showing through beneath another layer.

Accidental splashes.

It is these very details that give a painting depth.

I take my time when I paint. I leave some layers to dry and paint over others again. Sometimes I return to a painting over several days because I feel it is still missing something.

It is a process that cannot be rushed.

Give the painting a moment to speak

When you visit a gallery or studio, try setting yourself a small challenge.

Do not stand in front of a painting for just a few seconds.

Stay a little longer.

Notice the colours, textures and light. Try asking yourself a simple question:

How does this painting make me feel?

Do not look for the right answer.

There is no such thing.

And that is precisely what is beautiful about abstract art.

Art is not a riddle

You do not have to recognise what a painting depicts.

You do not need to look for hidden meaning or complex symbolism.

It is enough if it makes you pause for a moment.

If it makes you think.

If it awakens a memory, an emotion or a feeling you may not have felt for a long time.

Then it has fulfilled its purpose.

Why I love abstract painting

Each of my paintings comes into being differently.

Sometimes the first brushstrokes guide the whole story.

At other times, the painting is shaped by a palette knife, layers of paint or a chance effect I decide to keep.

That is precisely why no two paintings are ever the same.

Just as no two people have the same story.

Perhaps that is why I believe an abstract painting does not need a face to tell a story.

It is enough if it awakens something in the person looking at it.