The Stars Are Brighter In The City

Project Details

Acrylic, Gel Medium

Size: 15" x 30"

The Stars Are Brighter In The City was a project that required me to create an abstract work. We were allowed to use any material that was not a paintbrush, and we were not allowed to render anything specific. The image in the painting was inspired by my life living in Downtown, San Diego. It was meant to be reminiscent of the buildings along the skyline with the sun setting in blue hour, which is my favorite time of the day, and the marks were meant to express the wonder of the diversity of happenings and people that I see day to day.

This piece relied on composition and the repetition of primary colors to give it movement, action, and unity. It was also made with a gel medium to allow the acrylic to have a more solid shape when drying. The challenge in this painting was understanding where to add paint, when to leave it alone, and being intentional about where marks should be and how marks are made. It also caused me to factor in the unknown effects of how the paint colors would interact together once a specific mark was being made. There was no reference for this piece due to its abstract nature.