The Line Between Abstraction and Figuration

I had a little trouble beginning this assignment. I visited the sites that were recommended and I even put “contemporary artists” in the search bar of google, but I couldn’t find an artist that I felt compelled to write about. I was annoyed and feeling a little stuck, because I have my first real college paper due on Monday and art homework is generally more fun. And so, I did what so many college students do to procrastinate and I turned to social media. I wasn’t very far down my dashboard on Tumblr when I came across a post that caught my eye. I’d found my contemporary artist.

Sandy Dooley’s work originally caught my eye because of the vibrant colors she uses. I looked closer and was amazed to find a landscape scene being formed by all of that color. I was reminded of artists like Van Gogh and Monet, who take what they see and make it a world of color. I clicked the hyperlink attached to her name in the post (thank goodness the original poster knew a thing or two about crediting artists) and was taken to an interview where Dooley discusses her work with Saatchi Art, an online art carrier. I read through the Q and A and fell in love with her description of “exploring the line between abstraction and figuration.” She put words to what I had noticed initially, the emergence of a landscape scene from a sea of color.

I found Dooley’s blog and read more about her life and what brought her to make art like this. Dooley went to St Martin’s School of Art in Central London. I was very interested to find that she is based in the United Kingdom. When I think of landscapes in the UK, dull colors and dreary rain are what come to mind. I hadn’t pictured vibrant colors like the ones that Dooley uses in her paintings.

Sunshine Summer
Sandy Dooley
United Kingdom
Painting
Size: 11.8 H x 11.8 W x 1.3 in

Red Path
Sandy Dooley
United Kingdom
Painting
Size: 43.3 H x 70.9 W x 1.3 in

Beach
Sandy Dooley
United Kingdom
Painting
Size: 43.3 H x 43.3 W x 1.3 in

Winter Beach
Sandy Dooley
United Kingdom
Painting
Size: 11.8 H x 35.4 W x 1.3 in