My colorful abstract art is full of delicious details, with shapes and patterns that cause your eyes to bounce around the artwork in a visual feast of color and fun!

Click the thumbnails below to enlarge the artwork

About Thaneeya's Abstract Art

My abstract art explores how color, pattern, composition and personal symbology can express the mystery and delight of our existence.

In my abstract paintings and drawings, I manifest the intangible elements of everyday existence - emotions, thoughts, energy - by translating them into colors and patterns. My abstract works are often highly detailed because of my desire to achieve balance through multiplicity, in order to reflect the complexity of human consciousness and our shared experience in the multiverse. The result is a whimsical concoction of color and form, interwoven into a lyrical, visual harmony.

Abstract art is an ideal way to express thoughts, emotions and concepts that can't be easily verbalized. It transcends the boundaries of language, drawing viewers into an internalized space where they can experience the artwork in a personal, subjective way, extracting whatever meaning the artwork stirs up inside them. I generally don't assign any specific meaning to my abstract art because I prefer the viewer to interpret each piece in his or her own unique way. For me, the colors and chaos paradoxically induce a quiet mental stillness as I allow my eyes and mind to travel across the many details without assigning meaning to what I'm seeing. I just let the art take me for a ride.

My style of abstract art can be described as "orderly chaos" - which happens to be the title of one of my favorite abstracts that I created, in 2006.

I first started making with abstract art in 2003, experimenting with a variety of tools and surfaces, as well as various methods of mark-making. It wasn't long before my personal style naturally emerged, with an innate tendency towards bright, eye-popping colors and intricate, highly-detailed designs. I was (and still am) particularly influenced and inspired by folk art from cultures around the world, such as Persian miniatures, Mexican huichol and alebrije, Aboriginal dot painting, and more. My modern art influences include Hundertwasser, Klee and Kandinsky.

My abstract paintings have ranged in size from a tiny 3" x 3" to relatively large 30" x 40". Most pieces are somewhere in between, at 6" x 6", 8" x 10" or 18" x 24". I've come to enjoy creating abstract art on a small scale - cramming as much visual information as possible into a relatively limited space while respecting the overall cadence and flow of each piece. When working on canvas, I often extend the painting onto the sides (as you can see in the 2 examples above and right), creating a 3-D work of abstract art.

I create colorful abstract art using acrylics, colored pencils, watercolors, watercolor pencils, markers, pens and mixed media, as well as art-making apps on my iPad such as Procreate.

Learn to Color this Mandala

Mandalas are one of my favorite abstract art forms. Below you can see the techniques I use to color in this mandala with luminescent blends:

Learn easy alcohol marker blending techniques to create beautiful alcohol marker blends!

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Color this mandala with me

The video above moves really quickly, so if you want to get a closer look at my alcohol marker blending techniques in real-time, check out my Ultimate Guide to Using Alcohol Markers! I devote 90 minutes to coloring in this mandala, divided into 7 bite-sized lessons.

In my Ultimate Guide to Using Alcohol Markers, you can download the line art for the mandala below, print it out, and follow along as I demonstrate the alcohol marker blending techniques that I used to color this in! Color names and color swatches pop up on the screen every time I change colors, making it super-easy to follow along!

Learn Alcohol marker blending techniques in Thaneeya McArdle’s Ultimate Guide to Using Alcohol Markers

Abstract Coloring Pages

If you like my abstract art, you'll love coloring in my detailed designs! Add your own personal flair to my intricate line art by choosing your own colors and media to bring the black and white drawings to life. It's like a fun collaboration between you and me!

I currently have 3 abstract coloring books available for download:

My coloring pages are available as downloadable ebooks that you can print and color as often as you like (for personal, non-commercial use only). This means you can color each page multiple times, and experiment with different media and color combinations, without worrying about getting the pages "right" on your first try!

Here's an example of a half-colored page from my book of Abstract Coloring Pages, colored with Sakura Gel Pens: