by Abbie Rabinowitz | Jul 30, 2022 | Blog
Student paintings from five artists/students who participated in Part 1 of my Online Abstract Expressionism Painting course. Their work is based on the various visual parameters that I assigned each week over an 8-week period. I continue to receive deep satisfaction in facilitating a creative experience and witnessing each student develop a unique abstract voice.
If you are interested in participating in an art workshop or retreat, please join my email list so I can inform you of upcoming classes.
Miriam3 repetitive shapes
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Feb 28, 2022 | Blog
The 2022 Hawaii Painting Retreat was a huge success!!
A creative, FUN, inspiring time was had by all participants at this year’s 2022 Tropical Painting Retreat here on the Big Island of Hawaii.
We had sold-out retreat with 8 artists/students who traveled from across the US.
They came to Hawaii to join for this year’s winter getaway art retreat that included daily painting instruction, morning yoga classes, healthy catered meals, exotic excursions, and transformational healing.
Blessed with sunny, perfect Hawaiian weather, students painted pleinair landscapes outdoors, observing the lush, tropical landscape and black lava coasts to inspire their paintings.
Several students who had previously studied abstract painting with me chose to continue with their abstract expressions, inspired by the energy of the island.
Next year in 2023 I plan to offer two separate painting retreats in Hawaii, a pleinair painting retreat and an abstract, intuition-based painting retreat.
The Big Island is literally a hot-bed of inspiration with exotic tropical vegetation, seascapes, lavascapes, and an active volcano.
Please sign up on my email list to get updates on the dates for my upcoming transformational art retreats.
Jeannie watercolor painting
Painting under Kamani trees
Painting under palm canopy
Painting under the tree tunnel
Peek through the tree trunks
Painting lava tube by the coast
Gregory shares his landscape
Rebecca at 17 mile marker
Lunch on the lanai
Sharing healthy meals during lunch break outside on the lanai.
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Jan 15, 2022 | Blog
Just weeks ago my students and I completed Part 3: Painting in a Series. This was the third module, a series of 8-week online courses in Abstract Expressionism. The focus of this class was on creating paintings in a series. Throughout the workshop, students created paintings that were based on the painting exercises I provided each week. The exercises were developed to provide a platform for self-inquiry. The students had completed the two previous courses with me, so it was extremely rewarding to see them further extend their vision and develop their artistic voices.
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
John Ballentine: Conversations
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Inika Spence: Parents and offspring
Susan Taylor: Siblings
Susan Taylor: Siblings
Susan Taylor: Siblings
Susan Taylor: Siblings
Amy Zone:: Siblings
Amy Zone:: Siblings
Amy Zone:: Siblings
Amy Zone:: Siblings
https://www.abbierabinowitz.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Kieran1-scaled.jpg
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Kieran Hyland: Parents and offspring
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Richard Koob: Final series
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
Phil Rodak: Siblings
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Jun 7, 2021 | Blog
The following student painting gallery represents the artwork from five artists/students who participated in my Online Abstract Expressionism Painting course. Their work is shown chronologically and is based on the various visual parameters that I assigned each week over a 16-week period. It’s been my joy to facilitate a creative experience and witness each student develop their unique abstract voice during this time period.
If you are interested in participating in an art workshop or retreat, please join my email list so I can inform you of upcoming classes.
Miriam3 repetitive shapes
by Abbie Rabinowitz | May 25, 2021 | Blog
Beyond My Wisdom
Prompt from my weekly writing group.
Dusk along the Puna coast. Watercolor, 2017
What is beyond my wisdom?
If something is beyond our wisdom, can we actually comprehend it? Certainly beyond my knowledge I can understand. But wisdom?
What is wisdom after all?
Does wisdom equal the sum of our knowledge? No, not really but I think wisdom encompasses that.
Wisdom is one’s intuition, at least in part. We intuit things often, yet we don’t always act on our intuition.
Wisdom is more like… knowing when a painting is done.
Knowing when a painting is done is a learned skill based on ample experience, plus a big dose of inner knowing.
Kids know when their paintings are done. They finish and shout out in glee, “Look at what I did!”
Adults artists rarely know when to stop. How often do we ask another’s advice “Do you think it’s finished yet?”
How can we, the creator not know?
We paint and the love of painting exceeds the time when the painting is actually complete. When we overwork a painting we lose the initial freshness. We arrive at the point of “Ugh!”, long after the initial “Ahh!”
Sadly it is only in hindsight when we know the artwork has been pushed too far. Though with insight, this experience adds to the sum of our wisdom.
My wish is to conjure the state of Beyond my Wisdom. Go one step further than knowledge and three steps back into childhood innocence.
Abbie Rabinowitz ~ May, 2021.
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Apr 15, 2021 | Blog
Ohia and Lehua, acrylic on canvas, 8”x10”
Ohia and Lehua
This week my Plein air painting group and I tromped over an old, crumbly lava field to our destination along the Red Road… a small ohia tree in full bloom with lehua blossoms. These ohia trees are the first trees that grow in the cooled lava fields. The ohia trees are native to the Hawaiian islands, and because they grow directly from the lava rocks and cracks, they have a strong association with the volcano goddess herself, Pele.
I decided to study this beloved island tree up close, and really examine how this gnarly, twisted tree grows, how the leaves are formed, and where the fire red blossoms perch on the limbs.
There is also a magnificent Hawaiian legend of how Ohia and Lehua first came to be:
“The legend says that one day Pele met a handsome warrior named Ohia and she asked him to marry her. Ohia, however, had already pledged his love to Lehua. Pele was furious when Ohia turned down her marriage proposal, so she turned Ohia into a twisted tree.
Lehua was heartbroken, of course. The gods took pity on Lehua and decided it was an injustice to have Ohia and Lehua separated. They thus turned Lehua into a flower on the Ohia tree so that the two lovers would be forever joined together.
Hawaiian folklore says that if you pluck this flower you are separating the lovers, and that day it will rain.”
Richard, Lynn, and myself painting around the Ohia tree.
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Apr 8, 2021 | Blog, live painting
How I began painting at weddings
The journey of painting at weddings began a few years ago when a bride-to-be approached me with a unique request. She inquired if I offered “live painting” services for weddings. The bride had discovered my work online and was particularly drawn to the expressive and impressionistic style of my landscape paintings. Without hesitation, I gladly accepted her proposition. After all, I had plenty of experience capturing people and places in real-time through my years of artistic practice.
The bride shared her vision with me, describing the specific scene she desired to be painted. I dedicated myself to bringing her imagination to life on canvas. The satisfaction of fulfilling her expectations was immensely gratifying.
Since that initial experience, I have had the privilege of attending numerous weddings on the beautiful islands of Hawaii, both on the Big Island and Kauai. It is an absolute honor for me to offer my services as an artist, allowing me to witness and immortalize these incredibly special and memorable events through the creation of a stunning painting.
My Process
I make sure to arrive several hours ahead of the actual ceremony, allowing ample time for setting up and painting the surroundings. My goal is to capture the essence of the location, including flower arrangements, water views, gardens, palm trees, and breathtaking vistas while incorporating any other special details you desire. Working swiftly to encompass the entire scene, I paint throughout the ceremony while also taking photos to work from afterward.
Later, in my studio, I refine the painting by adding portrait details and applying finishing touches. To accomplish this, I utilize the photos I take at the wedding. The primary focus of the painting naturally centers around the bride and groom, but there is also the option to include members of the wedding party and guests. Once the final image is completed and you are satisfied with the result, I promptly send the painting to you.
I consider myself fortunate to have received tremendous appreciation from all my clients for their paintings. I strive not only to capture the physical likeness and setting of the wedding couple but also to convey the emotions and excitement that make a wedding day truly unforgettable.
Wedding Painting Gallery
Prices start at $1600 for watercolor on paper and range to $2400 for 24″x30″, acrylic on canvas. Shipping is extra.
Please contact me with the specifics of your wedding painting commission. We’ll discuss the date, time, setting, and other specifics you have planned for your wedding landscape & portrait.
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Mar 24, 2021 | Blog
Student Art Gallery: Abstract Expressionism Self-Directed, Online Painting Workshop
Five artists/students participated in two consecutive, 8-week abstract painting courses that I facilitated online.
Students worked independently on each new exercise, and we then met weekly online to show and share feedback on the new artwork. Scroll down to view each student’s set of paintings.
Barbara Klein
automatic mark making
Barbara Klein
repetitive shape
Barbara Klein
Asemic writing
Barbara Klein
large underlying shapes
Barbara Klein
complementary colors
John Ballentine
automatic mark making
John painting
repetitive shape
John Ballantine
repetitive shape
John Ballantine
Asemic writing
John Ballantine
large underlying shapes
John Ballantine
color field
John Ballantine
neutral palette
John Ballantine
complementary colors
John Ballantine
focal point
Kieran Hyland
automatic mark making
Kieran Hyland
Asemic writing
Kieran Hyland
large underlying shapes
Kieran Hyland focal point
balance
Kieran Hyland
warm palette
Kieran Hyland
neutral palette
Kieran Hyland:
complementary colors
Lisa Tousignant
automatic mark making
Lisa Tousignant
automatic mark making
Lisa Tousignant
repetitive shape
Lisa Tousignant
Asemic writing
Lisa Tousignant
color field
Lisa Tousignant
neutral palette
Lisa Tousignant
complementary colors
Lisa Tousignant
focal point
Susan Taylor:
automatic painting
Susan Taylor
automatic mark making
Susan Taylor
repetitive shape
Susan Taylor
Asemic writing
Susan Taylor
large underlying shapes
Susan Taylor
complementary colors
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Nov 20, 2020 | Blog
I’m thrilled!
Yesterday we held our first online critique for the 8-week Abstract Expressionism painting class that I’m facilitating.
Each student sent in several paintings that they had created using the first exercise of the course.
The exercise was to use primarily black and white on a large surface of paper or canvas. They could use thick or thin brushes, charcoal, or other drawing media. The process was to try not to think, but intuitively make a mark or stroke, and then step back several feet away to pause and look. Then when they felt the impulse, they could respond to their mark by approaching the canvas and adding another mark or stroke. I asked them to continue this process until they felt done.
Additionally, they could use white as a way to cover or delete marks they had made.
Using colors was optional as long as they used a limited palette,
It’s exciting to see the unique response and style of each student. Fortunately, everyone in the group is already comfortable using paint, and some are accomplished artists already.
The students work independently during the week, using new exercises that I introduce weekly.
We meet once a week to share our experience and share feedback on one another’s work.
I look forward to the next 7 weeks of co-creating this workshop with this passionate and expressive group of painters.
Barbara Klein
automatic mark making
John Ballentine
automatic mark making
John Ballentine automatic painting
John Ballentine: automatic painting
John Ballentine
John Ballentine: automatic painting
Kieran Hyland
automatic mark making
Kieran Hyland
automatic mark making
Lisa Tousignant
automatic mark making
Lisa Tousignant
automatic mark making
Lisa Tousignant
automatic mark making
Susan Taylor:
automatic painting
Susan Taylor
automatic mark making
Susan Taylor
automatic mark making
by Abbie Rabinowitz | Oct 24, 2020 | Blog
Rhythm in art refers to the arrangement of shapes in a way which creates an underlying beat. It is similar to the rhythm of music, but instead of notes and sounds, we use colors, shapes and lines.
A friend recently asked me what my newest landscape painting was about. Immediately the title “Rhythm and Blues” popped in my head. I hadn’t previously thought of a title but the words seemed so apropos.
I had been gifted a lovely, prepared arch-shaped canvas a few years ago but was saving it for the right moment. Apparently the right moment finally arrived, as I placed the canvas in my car before I drove off to paint in the morning. This was the first time I painted on a semi-circle shaped format and it won’t be my last. I love it!
I appreciate the flow created by the semi-circle format; the eyes move easily around the top curve and to the sides of the canvas.
The subject I chose to paint was a view just down the road along the coast. There were a few large trees with long limbs in the foreground, and ocean with crashing waves along the lava coastline in the background.
The spacing of the trees trunks creates a rhythm that moves laterally across the canvas. This then creates an alternative pattern of ‘negative shapes’, the spaces between the trees. The depiction of the lava coastline moving back in space is interspersed between the trees. This allows the eyes to shift back and forth, alternating between background and foreground.
Another visual flow is created by the various hues of blues to depict air, water, and the cool of the shadows. A pattern of shifting colors and brushmarks skims across the surface of the painting.
Painting is a visual language and like music, the use of patterns, rhythm, and beats within a work of art engages the viewer that much more.
Rhythm and Blues, oil on canvas, 17″ x 34″
