Abstractions
Our very first art experiences are marks and squiggles, seemingly random. As we approach the “age of reason” at around 7 years old, we have already been taught to copy the world around us, to imitate what we see.For me, there is something deeply satisfying in the letting go — of copying nature, or whatever I see in front of me —- to move beyond the boundaries of imitative representation into the total experience of paint, color, light, movement and the emergence of things that seem to come into the brushstrokes in a magical and unexpected way.
I fell in love with this process where nothing is pre-meditated. Forms emerge from the paint itself —a dragonfly….a doorway…a rune….a snail…a madonna….a plant form. I’m finding now that a few representational forms are moving back into my paintings in the midst of an abstract environment.
Full circle!
Abstractions
![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/river_of_life.jpg)
River of Life
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/wavesofmatter-6020.jpg)
Waves of Matter
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/tetrad_6016.jpg)
Tetrad
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/aduality-7933.jpg)
A Duality
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/pathsoflight-2491.jpg)
Paths of Light
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/waterfall-0422.jpg)
Waterfall
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/newzealandnight-3177.jpg)
New Zealand Night
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/valleyofthewhitewoman-0003.jpg)
Valley of the White Woman
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/bluesaguaro-2733.jpg)
Blue Saguaro
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/forestmoon-8423.jpg)
Forest Moon
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/guardian.jpg)
Guardian
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/lotusmadonna.jpg)
Lotus Madonna
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/celestrialmadonna.jpg)
Celestial Madonna
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/primaryabstract.jpg)
Primary Abstract
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/impermanent1-2732.jpg)
Impermanent
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/pinkmountains-3182.jpg)
Pink Mountains
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/communion-0594.jpg)
Communion
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/planetaryseed_3190.jpg)
Planetary Seed
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/antarctica.jpg)
Antarctica
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/yellowdress-2736.jpg)
Yellow Dress
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![](https://www.irenacarlson.com/images/gallery/sm/img_8435.jpg)
Horsey Girl
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