I made all abstract works in 2021, mostly something I’m calling Icon Montages, where I take a few simple icons and arrange them into an artwork. I’ve been making art on my phone or tablet because it’s convenient and relaxing. For the Icon Montages, I used vectors only or vectors combined with photos. Since they are mostly vector they can be blown up and printed at any size. The app I’ve been using is not a vector editor but more of a vector and photo arranger, it’s a very simple app with limited features. For the most part I’m using the most basic of icon shapes and then arranging them and playing with the colors.
Late in the year I started working in the app Procreate. It’s a painting app so the pieces made with it are more painterly than the Icon Montages. The last piece of 2021 is influencing my early 2022 work. I discovered I enjoy doing a type of scribbly lines that are reminiscent of Celtic knots but are more spontaneous and much less perfect. The scribbly pieces are heavily influenced by Miro and Celtic knots but some also have a modern graffiti feel to them.
I’ve been uploading most of them to social sites that use a lot of image compression which is especially damaging to reds and pinks. I’m starting to avoid certain colors and am favoring black and white, but I don’t like that instagram and twitter are having an influence over my art.
