Pushing the abstract envelope

Image One

Image Two
(with a slightly darker background)

Well, art fair took a lot out of me. I was pretty intense and energetic about it. Started feeling a bit of a let down for a few days afterwards. But now I am in creative mode again. Even though I have no exhibits in the near future, I am glad I am feeling this way. I really think getting your work "out there" does have a motivating factor to it. And I continue to want to be experimental. I took a photo of a flower interior (a Hollyhock), as someone at the fair told me, and decided to jazz and color it up. It was already an abstract image but seemed rather dull compared to some of the other art I had displayed at the fair. (Another good reason to frame and exhibit a number of your pieces together, I find). So this morning Frank and I played with the image and shared thoughts and ideas on where to go with it. The circle itself is not a perfect circle, which I feel adds interest. The original Hollyhock photo had been cropped so no background was evident. I felt the need to add a background here, though. To me the cross has a spiritual connotation and the darkness represents space/universe, giving some depth to the piece. The two images above have slightly different backgrounds (one is a slightly lighter purple) and I'd appreciate any feedback about them (Your preference). I continue to delve into the world of abstract and was glad I exhibited a few of my newer pieces at the art fair. No titles yet here, but in time I'm sure they'll emerge.