Marybeth Heikes

Paintings in Watercolor & Mixed Media

Posts Tagged “Abstract”

Engine Abstraction #13

Engine Abstraction #13

July 26, 2019

This painting is part of my abstract engine designs that I have been working on since April of this year. The composition possibilities are interesting and seem endless when you take a closer view of your subject. This close-up includes the yellow Union Pacific engine with windows, stripes and numerals. more »

Engine Abstraction #7

Engine Abstraction #7

May 31, 2019

I'm been designing and creating another acrylic collage of the train engines. This is a close up composition which are geometric shapes and bold colors. There are so many details on train engines that you don't notice when taking a photograph. more »

Engine Abstraction #6

Engine Abstraction #6

May 24, 2019

Trains are one of my favorite subject matter to paint and I have found working on this series exciting. This particular design features a boxcar in black, orange, sienna, tan, and gray. more »

Dark Cliffs, Red & Violet Rockscape

Dark Cliffs, Red & Violet Rockscape

April 5, 2017

I began this abstract collage without a thumbnail sketch, but by choosing a variety of colors from my hand-painted acrylic papers. Some of my newer papers were painted with a bristle brush instead of using the brayer to roll and blend the pigments. I liked the brush marks on the paper which adds some new […] more »

Getting Down To Get Over

Getting Down To Get Over

February 24, 2017

My inspiration for this artwork was to explore another area that interested me: abstract compositions. A client recently requested this specific type of painting and I challenged myself in completing one. This is easier said than done, especially when my forté is painting still lifes and working from one of my reference photos. Some of […] more »

Lightning on the Waves/Voyages

Lightning on the Waves/Voyages

January 12, 2017

This composition is another adventure, a voyage into the unknown. It seems easy enough to choose favorite colors and then the decisions begin with different shapes and arrangements. Because I hand-paint my papers with Golden and Liquitex pigments, the juicy, thick paint results in a highly textured surface that adds interest to the patterns and shapes […] more »

New Years Pizza, Blue Pepperoni

New Years Pizza, Blue Pepperoni

January 10, 2017

The most exciting moment for me is completing a collage without a thumbnail design, allowing the process to carry my creative mind on an adventure of discovery. In the past I began with a specific idea and drawing for a collage. It started with Iowa barns and farm animals. I traveled in southeast Iowa searching […] more »

Concentric Weave / Red & Blue

Concentric Weave / Red & Blue

December 30, 2016

My goal at the start was to create a unique design using a limited palette. I wanted the final design to be out of the ordinary and be eye-catching. It is also important to me to vary the shapes and sizes of these. This is the part of the process I love. I have no […] more »

An Egyptian Passage in Purple

An Egyptian Passage in Purple

December 22, 2016

This is a full sheet collage that is part of my series of non-objective subject matter. It began with choosing some favorite colors: purple, orange, indigo and teal. I began making the shapes using random cuts with the X-Acto knife and folding various parts of my hand-painted papers. This is quite challenging to begin this […] more »