Addiction: An Abstract Story

This piece was brought to life with oil paints, oil pastel, and perhaps some acrylic as well. Brushes, palette knives, and towels, all working to layer together a complex story. From the color choices to the obvious yet abstract figures, the one word title of "Addiction" attempts to bring it all together.

Take a second to look around the piece, noticing feelings and moments, perhaps even a progression of scenes facilitated by layers and depth. The main figure here is in green, and could be seen as staring right at you, or from different lighting, shyly looking away in shame. However that does not have to be the figure you identify with. There are many interpretations to this piece, and no one individual can know all of them. From the white mist in the upper middle of the painting, to the sea of red near the bottom, much of this painting has been unexplored even to me.

Though, there are some elements I wish to point out, in order to facilitate your journey with the artwork. To the right of the main green figure exists a circle of elements, perhaps bars or even people. With a title like "Addiction" one could easily infer this to be a support group, an intervention, or even different thoughts and personalities all in one's mind. Perhaps you identify most with this circle, as you know someone who you connect with the other elements in the artwork.

Continuing with the painting, black streaks are seen on the left, perhaps bars in a prison or even rain from a cloud, symbolizing despair and sadness. The shape of a woman can be noticed by the top right, noticeably above the green figure. Take from that what you will, whether it be the wife of this man who he sees as above him, or another interpretation of your own. There are other individual elements such as the red sea and white lines as mentioned before, but I will leave those to you for interpretation.

What I do want to comment on, is the color choices here. The yellow and red seem to represent a fading and short joy, usually brought on by whatever one is addicted to. However, the cold, harsh reality as represented by blue is starting to seep in, particularly by the bars/rain. The red and yellow appear to cover the background, causing the viewer to wonder what is being hidden behind this facade.

I hope I was able to share some of my interpretations and thoughts when I was creating and pondering this piece, I wish for you to create some of your own experiences with this artwork, and journey through interpretations as I did and continue to do. Thanks for reading, have a great day!