You’ve probably noticed I've started a series of paintings on paper called Earth Abstracts. I want to capture open landscapes and distant vistas, explore contours of the earth and paint the striations of color I've seen in canyon walls.

Paintings of landscapes are popular — they remind you of places you’ve been or a favorite view. An abstract landscape is appealing in that it gives you a glimmer of recognition while taking your imagination on an adventure.

While I began the series with a warm earthy color palette, I now am experimenting with bold and different color schemes: olive green gave way to teal, dark crimson became a magenta hue. A coral red hill and a cerulean blue river appeared in a wheat-colored landscape. While these are abstract interpretations of the land, the slope of a hill, the contour of earth and a distant horizons can still be imagined. And that's the pleasure and attraction of abstract landscapes.

Here are two of my favorites:

• First Light captures distant hills in soft receding shadows while nearby grasses catch the first pale light. I like  the simplicity of the scene, the blending of cool and warm colors and how the etched lines add a subtle complexity.

  

   
• Prairie Spring layers paint and translucent paper to create gentle green hills in a lingering mist. The land contours required many layers of tissue-thin paper and acrylic glazes to create the subtle variations in color. I love the shades of green — pine, sage, olive, pistachio and basil, the alabaster white and the one wave of aquamarine. To me, it adds the right touch of vibrancy to a misty landscape.

  

See all my Earth Abstracts — so many vistas and scenes to capture your imagine. Find Art 2 Love!
 

Further Reading: Framing Your Art