#5 Gotta Have the Guts II - Abstract Mixed Media Painting

"Gotta Have the Guts II"
Acrylic, paper, fibers, and markers on canvas
24"x24"
I had a lot of fun making this painting. I started from a completely random abstract painting, and then built this image on top, using paint, tissue paper, fabric, and markers. 
There kind of is no wrong-doing when you use mixed media, everything you add to the painting can become something else with a few more layers of abstraction.


The result is an abstract representation of an intestinal cell, as seen through a transmission electron microscope. The elongated forms represent the microvilli. 
Each cell has thousands of microvilli, to maximize the surface area available to absorb the nutrients from the digested food. I find that super-fascinating.

I actually made this and its companion piece, Gotta Have the Guts 1, for a specific juried show that was calling for art inspired by science. And they both got juried in, how exciting!!

The show is:

Hypotheses: Art Inspired by the Many Worlds of Science
SEPTEMBER 28 - NOVEMBER 10, 2018
Opening Reception: Friday, September 28 | 6-8 PM


at the Cultural Arts Center
139 W. Main Street
Columbus OH 43215



Comments

  1. laurelleSeptember 07, 2018

    I was attracted by the beautiful combination of colors in the small thumbnail on the Saeta site, and now am fascinated by how you were able to do this. I love the fusion of science and art. Congrats on the juried show!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robie BenveSeptember 09, 2018

      Thanks a lot Laurelle, that's a great compliment! I always say that a strong painting is all about composition, and if it does not look interesting as a small thumbnail image, than something can surely be improved about it. So happy to hear that this one caught your attention as a thumbnail! Thank you!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Comments and feedback are welcome. :)

Popular posts from this blog

Winter is Coming - Portrait, Acrylic on Canvas

Image
"Winter Is Coming" 12"x16" Acrylic on Canvas Available   I am really pleased with how this painting came out.  And to think that I used to be very intimidated by painting people, now I can do portraits that really resemble the model, woohoo!  :) I used a canvas that had an abstract pattern already painted on it, with the idea of covering the pattern in most areas, leaving only a few hints of it here and there. However, when I started the new painting, I really liked the pattern background and how it was peaking through everywhere, so I kept it visible as part of the composition. The model was wearing a warm scarf, and it made me smile when shortly after we got our first big snow of the year, she must have known that winter was coming, and coming soon. :)
Read more

Painting Outside Is Always a Challenge, but So Much Fun! - Yield to Pedestrian, Oil Painting

Image
"Yield to Pedestrian" Oil on Panel, 12"x16", framed Available on my website Every week I go on a plein air outing with a group led by the talented Joe Lombardo. Last weeek we did a few 10-minute studies of different views of the same park, then it started pouring and we had to flee. The 10-minute studies were fun and non-committal, I just had to get the main ideas down, no need to make a finished painting. And they were small. Easy peasy. This week, the task was to make a big painting en plein air, and finish it. What??? The weather was crappy again, and I really dislike painting rainy landscapes. I was really intimidated, so I picked a board that was big, but not huge. A 12"x16" would do. Much bigger than the usual 6"x6" I get out on rainy days. : ) But I was determined to do it. I had a strategy. :) I talked to my self in the car, on the way there. I told myself: I am fearless. I am talented. I am courageous. I am creativ
Read more

Cow on Swisse Alps - Acrylic Landscape

Image
"High Pastures" 18" x 24" (45.7 cm x 61 cm) Acrylic on Stretched Canvas $430 It as been good getting back to the easel after too many months. I thought I forgot how to paint, I felt so rusty. But that subsided soon, thank Goodness, and the usual fun that I get with each new painting kicked in. Yay! :) Life is still too busy for my likings, some days I totally feel overwhelmed by the need of taking care of too many things. When I carve out the time to dip my brushes in paint and get creative, I forget about everything else and I enjoy it so much. :) I painted High Pastures for the painting challenge of A Day Not Wasted . Thanks Lee Brown for sharing your beautiful photos with artists and creating these stimulating challenges! I learned a lot painting my first cow and first mountains. It makes me want to paint more. I enjoyed painting this landscape so much that I even wrote an article about it, explaining the process step by step.  Prints availa
Read more