All representational painting is abstract. We are translating a 3D world into 2D. Some images allow us to push the abstraction more. Others less.
In this video I do the same image 9 times. Each one becomes more abstract while still holding to the initial representational nature of the image.
I just think the main point is to recognize an interplay. It is to know when it is time when you really have to craft the thing and articulate it well, and those that lend themselves to more abstraction. And if you confuse them, you could be in trouble because you just sort of get lost in one or the other. Just recognizing the difference between them is powerful. When you're in the each arena, it helps to know when to abstract and when to really form a definite articulated form.
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