Playing the Field by Karen Hansen — *Playing the Field* by Karen Hansen

One of the risks of being a 2-D artist is that all of your walls end up being covered by your same flavor of art and it can get to be a bit much. Shortly after discovering that I really like my fine art photographs printed on wood (with a white underlay so there is no actual “wood look”), my husband remarked that our living room décor was beginning to tip the scale. Uh oh.

In fact, I appreciate all types of art and I think my tastes have broadened with time - a good thing, no? Abstract art has grown on me over the years. Lucky for me (and Adam), it just so happens that my step-mom, Karen Hansen, is an acclaimed abstract painter. I’m delighted to have some her work, including this 16 x 16” piece titled ‘Playing the Field’ which is displayed in a prominent spot in our entryway. I love how Karen describes her works as evolving “through a process of intuition, improvisation, experimentation and revision.” Karen is a prolific artist and you can view her impressive paintings on her website at www.klhansen.com.

Another piece of abstract art that came into my life just recently is this gorgeous pendant necklace by Nicole Isabelle. Nicole is an artist extraordinaire who lives in Brooklyn with her partner and two rescue kitty cats. Nicole also teaches and has an Etsy shop called Magic Leaf Paintings where she offers select artworks for sale, including prints and cards (https://www.etsy.com/shop/MagicLeafPaintings). I was given this necklace as a gift and I love wearing it because it is modern and timeless all at once.

My understanding of abstract art is that it is an exploration of form, color and lines. I also think of abstract art as being brave and sophisticated. But what any piece of art boils down to is, does it make your heart sing?

Thank you for stopping by to read about my appreciation for these artworks. Who knows, maybe one day I will explore abstraction in my fine art photography.

The Art of Abstraction