This question seems to be in the minds of art viewers when they look at abstract art. A lot of people ask me what is on my mind when I paint and create mixed media pieces that are abstract. Some who view abstract art- work that is truly non-representational- try to identify something recognizable in the work. "I think I see a bird", or "look, there is a car on the water" kind of statements. I notice that they are squinting their eyes to pull out something identifiable in my most abstract work. Others comment on the colors and shapes and sometimes lines or marks, which is how I view abstract art. Still others like the title of a piece, more than the piece, it seems. There is certainly no right or wrong way to "see" abstract art.

When I start a new abstract piece, my interest is in color, shapes, value and lines and how these things interact with each other in the piece. I literally start with the colors that I want to use, and their variations, and also a basic composition foundation. I paint, then look at the piece for a while, then add something, and so forth. I also love textures and sometimes add collage, netting, string, found objects and copies of photographs or papers. I can't explain in words and don't seem to have the language to express what I am looking for, or the end point. Except to say it is when my eyeballs smile. Not my heart smiling, or my brain smiling, but my eyeballs. It is not that the piece conveys a political or social message, other than that of satisfaction. It is simply visual and makes my eyeballs smile. Does that make sense to anyone else?

Other times when I start a piece, I have visual images in my mind of the huge Redwood trees in my yard or garden plants, the beautiful ocean nearby or the shapes and energy of a city like San Francisco. These images seem to show up in the new artwork, but typically in an abstracted version. The degree to which one's eyeballs smile comes from within the person, it seems to me. The art viewer brings something very unique to the experience of looking, and perhaps that accounts for why we each like something different. How do you view abstract art?

You can see some of my work in Edgewater Gallery in Fort Bragg, CA, open every day from 11am to 5pm.