Thursday, September 9, 2010

My DIY: Dollar Store Abstract Expressionism


I've long been a fan of wild black and white expressionists like Robert Motherwell and Franz Kline.


This Kline painting was featured on the last page of this month's House Beautiful.


Some Franz Kline knockoffs appeared in Kevin Sharkey's vaunted NYC apartment makeover. The one above the bed is too scary to sleep under, but I liked the set in the living room.


Fake art is not a new DIY concept, but I bet this is the first abstract expressionist ripoff to rely on a tossed-out poster frame and some dollar store products.


This golf poster 'challenged' me to give it a makeover.


Take some dollar store poster board cut to fit a second-hand frame. Grab some black acrylic paint, dollar store or otherwise. Get loose. Paint.


To show I'm not a complete dilettante, note that I rejected my first painting. Not enough negative space.


Allow to dry and frame.


The Picasso is also a DIY, using the time-honored artistic technique known as "tracing."

Get some more DIY art inspiration at What the Vita.

17 comments:

  1. LOL! I think it is great! Love the on you traced too! =)

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  2. lol, tracing. This turned out great :)

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  3. well i am ALL FOR franz kline paintings, but most of us only get to see them in books, mags or museums. brilliant (and cost-effective) tribute! well done!

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  4. That set-up with all the DIY art looks great! At first, I thought it was a magazine photo. So pretty...

    Thanks for the link love!

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  5. LOL. This is REALLY cute and stylish - and I love this new technique called "tracing." You totally made it work, as Tim Gunn would say. And there's the added bonus of wowing guests when they ask who did the piece. "Oh, just little old me!"

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  6. YOU are amazing, and just like me. Which makes you amazing. ;) No, seriously, I just did a similar DIY (and I copy digital art all the time btw), had a great old silver frame, so I cut down one of those tri-fold foamboard science fair project type thingies from a presentation I had done awhile back, flipped it over, painted it with chalkboard paint and glued it in the frame. Voila, a chic little chalkboard. I love DIY. Clever, clever.

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  7. That is so cool, I've always wanted to do something like that. Really like the table set up also.

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  8. Awesome!! I might just have to try this!!

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  9. That is the SADDEST story ever about your wearing leopard!! I hate people like that... I once tried out blue nail polish (in HS, it was the hip look), and had a relative who kept asking me if I'd "smashed my fingers in a door." That was probably more ill advised than leopard (which is lovely), but still... "if you can't say something nice about a person's outfit, don't say anything at all."

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  10. Brilliant! I love these black and white abstract pieces - now I can have my very own!

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  11. I am so digging this. Will def give it a try!

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  12. Fabulous - I love the vignette you made, too!

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  13. I must give this a try! it's been said that is a lovely vignette...I'm jealous and good way :)

    www.chicmodernvintage.com

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  14. Thanks for sharing your dollar store abstract expressionist knock-off! Maybe we should start an art knockoff club! :)

    Back in the day, I used to do mail art & ATCs a lot, and my favorites were the ones we did in the style or inspired by other artists. I did some self-portraits in the style of impressionists Van Gogh (of course!) and Modigliani.

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  15. Finally found this post again! Yours inspired the art I just posted on my blog!

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