When something emerges from abstraction

I started an abstract watercolor this week. So normally… there’s no horse in it. Well… normally.

This is something I do quite often in my painting — that moment where I begin without really knowing where I’m going. I put down shapes and colors quite instinctively, and then I watch what happens. It might sound a bit vague when I say it like that, but in reality it’s very concrete: it allows me to start even when I don’t have a clear idea, and it avoids that blank page feeling that can be quite paralysing.

Starting without knowing

You could compare it to looking for shapes in the clouds, but for me it’s not exactly that. I’m not trying to recognize something that’s already there. I’m asking myself whether, from this abstract base, a horse could emerge.

Could it become a head? A full body? Is it facing me, or in three-quarter view? Where would the light be? The shadows?

These questions don’t come after the fact — they are part of the process itself. They open possibilities rather than closing them.

Letting the image emerge

From there, it almost becomes a small investigation. I go through my reference photos and see if one resonates with what I’ve started. And then I adjust.

I refine the volumes, I push the contrasts, and I look for the balance between what is already there and what can be revealed. It’s not about forcing an image, but about letting it take shape.

Sometimes it takes time. And sometimes… it’s already there, almost immediately. That was the case with this painting.

From the moment I see it, it becomes difficult to go back. The way I look at the painting changes, and so does the work. It’s no longer about searching, but about revealing.

Watch the first phase

If you’re curious to see how this painting started, you can watch the first phase here:
→ Where is the horse? (it appeared in this abstract painting)

And here is finally the final painting, almost finished. I'm letting it aside for a bit to see if I have something else to add.

A process that removes pressure

What I really like about this approach is that it removes a lot of pressure. There’s no need to know in advance what you’re going to paint, or to “get it right” from the start.

You begin, and something might appear. Or not. But either way, it gets things moving.

If you’d like to try it, one simple tip can help: avoid starting with a background that’s too high in contrast. It will always be easier to add shadows later if a form begins to emerge.

So… what do you see? A horse… or something else?

🌿 Go further

If you enjoy this kind of exploration, I share more of these processes, reflections, and experiments in my Studio Practice newsletter (every other Sunday).