Why I Love Creating Abstract Art
- kathrynm05
- Mar 25
- 6 min read
I used to work as a scientific illustrator, so accuracy was a big part of my day, capturing things exactly as they were and paying close attention to the details. As a graphic designer, I worked to precise briefs with clear commercial goals behind every project. Both jobs were creative but they came with a lot of structure and expectations.
Those years in design taught me a huge amount about colour, not just how to use it, but how people respond to it. I learned that colour can completely change the feel of a piece, guide someone’s eye, or shift the mood without them even realising why. I became really aware that colour isn’t universal. What feels energetic or joyful in one culture might mean something totally different in another. That understanding has stuck with me and definitely shapes how I work now.
Over time, I realised I wanted something a bit looser. I missed having space to play, to follow colour just because it felt good and to let things unfold without a plan. As an abstract artist, I get to drop any expectations of what art “should” look like. The beauty of it is the unpredictability. Instead of searching for recognisable forms, I can give myself a moment to simply take in the shapes, colours and textures and see where they lead.
All the training from those earlier roles still shows up in my work, from the eye for detail to the sense of balance and the way I think about composition. I use all of that now in a much freer and more intuitive way. I’m always thinking about how colours interact and how they influence the viewer. I’m very aware of how a palette can shift the whole feeling of a piece.
There’s this lovely moment when a painting suddenly clicks, not because it looks like something recognisable, but because it simply feels right. That feeling is exactly why I love abstract art, because it can shift the whole mood of a space through atmosphere alone.
For me, abstract art is really just curiosity and play, with a soft letting go of the old ways of working. It’s relaxed, a bit messy and exactly the kind of creative space I enjoy being in, with colour leading the way.
When Abstract Art Feels Like a Different Language
What still makes me smile is how abstract art can catch people off guard. You know that moment when you’re looking at a painting thinking, I’m not sure what this is… but I kind of love it? Most of us start there. We’re so used to searching for something familiar, a sky, a figure, a landscape, because that’s how we’ve been taught to look at art.
But here’s the fun part: even the artists we instantly recognise, like Van Gogh or Monet, relied on the same foundations abstract art brings forward. Their subjects are just the top layer. Underneath, it’s all rhythm, balance, movement and colour doing the heavy lifting.
When I stepped away from scientific illustration, I started noticing those hidden structures everywhere. A tiny shift in colour or a small change in direction can completely alter how a piece feels. Abstract art simply puts those choices front and centre. It’s not about decoding anything, it’s about letting yourself respond.
Artists like Van Gogh and Kandinsky nudged me toward this way of seeing. I loved how they used colour and movement to create emotion rather than describe something. I’m not trying to paint like them, but their influence is there in the way I look for flow, rhythm and those little surprises that appear when I let the materials take over.
Why Abstract Art Feels So Different
One of the reasons abstract art feels so different is because it gives you room, real, breathing room. There’s no pressure to recognise anything or to get it right. Once you stop trying to name shapes, your imagination finally gets a bit of freedom.
That’s what I love about it. A piece can be bold or gentle, structured or loose and it still leaves space for your own experiences to shape the moment. It feels more like a quiet conversation than a puzzle.
I was reminded of this recently at an Impressionism exhibition. Those painters were already letting go of strict detail and leaning into light, atmosphere and feeling. It made me realise that abstraction didn’t suddenly appear, it grew slowly, generation by generation, as artists kept pushing things a little further. That long, curious journey is exactly the space I feel at home in.
A Little Note about Abstract Art
As abstract art is so open and flexible, it can feel a bit mysterious at first. Comments like I could do that or that looks simple are completely normal. Without a clear object to latch onto, your brain doesn’t get its usual clues.
When you slow down, you start to notice the choices, the colours, the balance, the tiny shifts that guide your eye. That’s when abstract art starts to make sense in a different, more intuitive way.
What Abstract Art Is Really Doing
Abstract art steps away from realism and uses colour, form and texture to spark a reaction. It’s not random marks. Even the loosest, most playful decisions are there to create a feeling, even if you can’t quite name it.
That’s why people love living with abstract art. A good piece draws you in, invites your eyes to wander and offers small surprises each time you look. Sometimes it even lifts your mood without you noticing. That quiet moment of connection is exactly what the artist hopes for.
Colour, Collage and the Joy of the Unexpected
All of this sits right at the heart of how I work. When I’m playing with colour, collage or overlooked materials, I’m always moving between a bit of structure and a bit of spontaneity. I might start with a loose idea or a palette I want to explore but the painting only really comes alive once intuition takes over.
Tiny adjustments can completely shift the mood, softening a colour, adding a bold interruption or leaving space for the eye to rest. It’s the same kind of decision making that gives more realistic art its strong abstract backbone.
Collage is where I get to have the most fun with that balance. A forgotten scrap, a sudden pop of colour, these little surprises can change the rhythm of a piece instantly. Even a single letter or fragment of text can send the work in a new direction. That’s the magic for me: watching something unexpected take shape and feeling it pull you in.
Breaking Free from Reality’s Constraints
One of my favourite things about working abstractly is the freedom it brings. I’m no longer tied to making something look a certain way. I can follow a hunch, try something out and see where it leads. Those little what if questions often open the door to the most interesting discoveries.
Colour, shape and texture can misbehave a bit and the so called rules are usually the first things I’m happy to break. It’s often the quickest way to find something new.
Working this way lets me explore colour theory, test compositions and push ideas further each time. Letting go of realism opens up space for creativity and for those unplanned moments that end up becoming the best part of the painting.
The whole abstract movement, from cubism to geometric abstraction and everything in between, has always been about stretching what art can be. For me, it’s a reminder of how inventive we are and how much fun there is in seeing the world differently.
An Invitation to Explore
If you’re curious to see how all of this shows up in my work, I’d love you to wander through my website at your own pace. Each piece is built in layers, with textures and details that often reveal themselves slowly. There’s no need to analyse anything, just notice what catches your eye or gives you a small spark of feeling. That’s all abstract art is really asking of you.
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