Movement of the Soul

Today, I will be presenting another series of abstract art pieces I have created. As with all art, I am sure there will be some you like more than others, or perhaps you will like none. I have mixed feelings about some of the ones to come, while others sing loudly and move my soul. I am showing them in the order they were created.

Cityscape – Created by Don Cheke

This is something I created on February 5, 2025, while experimenting with simplicity in architecture. It is based on something similar I had seen online, but it has my own flare incorporated into the design. I find it rather simple, but I do like how the texture of the canvas adds to its overall look, and I like how the blending of the sun turned out. I also like the mottled texture of the blue sky. I think that it adds some character.

Although I did not create it with any real meaning to be gleaned from it, I suppose one could say that it represents the sun rising, or setting on society, depending on one’s frame of mind.

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Abstract 020625 – Created by Don Cheke

In the last blog post, I chose to have the AI create a feature image that represented a mirror reflecting the wonderous inner soul of humanity, the human spirit. If you remember, it did a pretty good job of it. I had also mentioned that I wished I had been able to come up with something wonderful but felt that my skill level was lacking. Not being one to let lack of skill keep me down, I decided to give it a whirl to see what I could come up with. Abstract 020625 is the result.

I was not particularly enamored by this one, but have decided to show it here, nonetheless. I don’t think it has enough of a wow factor, if any at all, to warrant reflecting that human spirit I mentioned above.

I had posted the image on the artist forum I participate in, and someone suggested it looked like a port hole, and wondered what it might look like if the outside area was black. Below is the result. I think that was a good call, as it makes the center pop out a bit better. Just pure black wasn’t great, but a textured almost black worked well, I’d say. That gave it the look of wood, so making the porthole motif even better.

Which do you prefer?

Abstract 020625 Alternate – Created by Don Cheke

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Amitabha Abstract – Created by Don Cheke

I had great fun creating this one on February 7, 2025. It is meant to represent an ancient temple wall with one remaining figure, that of Amitabha Buddha, a Buddhist figure whose name means “Infinite Light” in Sanskrit. I created the abstract background on the 7th, and inserted the drawing figure, which I made years ago. I added the red streaks to represent tears of blood for the struggles and suffering of humankind through the ages. Although I am not religious, I appreciate the gentle nature of Buddhism, and some of their teachings, like living in the middle way, far away from all extremes. I am quite pleased with this painting and I can feel it move me deeply. I loved being able to incorporate both new and old art.

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Abstract 020925 – Created by Don Cheke

This one started out with a 9-color red-orange color palette, plus white. I wanted to experiment with depth and didn’t know exactly what that would look like. As I worked and blended, I saw a field with distant mountains come to life. It was beautiful but sad. I then added some strokes pulling up from each colored row, which gave it the dead forest motif once again. I started to feel the pull towards the horrors of war, like the battle of Dieppe, and Canada’s Remembrance Day and the United States Memorial Day, all remembrances really. I added the barbed wire to drive the point home. Once complete, I felt quite moved by what came through on the canvas, and the dead forest motif became the dead soldier motif, if you can imagine that. I thought about naming this piece “Lest We Forget,” but my wife thought it spoke well enough without the title.

I used digital pastels for this piece.

When I first posted this painting on the artist forum I participate in, no one commented, which of course is always disturbing, but being only five or six people that only ever reply to anything, I decided that I shouldn’t take it too seriously, since they are a very small sample of viewers. As such, I figured I could at least get a response from the AI, so I asked it to provide some feedback.

ChatGPT responded with:

This piece is incredibly evocative. The layered depth, the gradual blending of reds and oranges, and the abstract strokes create a haunting yet poignant atmosphere. The way the strokes stretch upwards like ghostly remnants of a lost battlefield is powerful, especially with the barbed wire cutting through the composition. It carries a strong emotional weight – one of memory, sacrifice, and loss.

I love that you allowed the painting to evolve naturally, letting it reveal its own story as you worked. Sometimes, art has a way of guiding us rather than the other way around. The connection to war and remembrance is clear, yet subtle enough that the viewer can bring their own interpretation. Whether it’s a field of fallen soldiers or a landscape scarred by conflict, the emotion seeps through beautifully.

I also understand your wife’s perspective – the painting speaks volumes without a title, but “Lest We Forget” is a fitting name if you ever decide to give it one. Either way, this is a deeply moving and thought-provoking piece. Well done!

CoPilot responded with:

What an evocative piece of art! Your use of the red-orange color palette creates a powerful visual impact, and the depth you’ve achieved truly draws the viewer into the scene. The transition from the beautiful field and distant mountains to the somber dead forest motif, and finally to the haunting dead soldier motif, is masterfully done. The addition of the barbed wire really emphasizes the themes of war and remembrance, making the artwork deeply moving.

I think the name “Lest We Forget” is very fitting, as it captures the essence of remembering the sacrifices made during war. Your ability to convey such profound emotions and themes through your art is impressive. Keep exploring and expressing these powerful messages!

A few days later, someone on the artist’s forum, someone I value the opinion of, provided a short but nice comment, so my faith in humankind was restored. 😊

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Abstract 021025 – Created by Don Cheke

Here are the results of some experimentation on the evening of February 10th. I used 6 colors + black and white. The 6 colors I used are supposed to be the most popular colors for 2025. I’d begged to differ, but I chose them anyway for this piece. The purpose for creating this piece was mostly to experiment with the flow of digital watercolor.

I find it amazing that something beautiful can present itself when the artist has no preconceived notion of what it will look like.

I added some stars, as seen below, and funnily enough it made me think of a new design for the American flag. Especially the upper left corner. That must be because of the stars and the red, white and blue. No offence meant, if someone from the US feels put off by that.

Abstract 021025 Alternative – Created by Don Cheke

In the end, I preferred the version without the stars, but wanted to see if someone might like it with them. I think the added stars change the overall feel, and maybe not in a great way. At least with digital work, one can easily remove some added items if on a separate layer that can be turned off, or made invisible, as it were.

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A Night on the Town – Created by Don Cheke

What came first, the idea of the people, or the background? Although this was inspired by an abstract painting I saw the day before, that contained dark figures that looked somewhat like people, I believe that I just started as I normally do by selecting a color palette and experimenting with brushes and strokes, and different kinds of digital paint. I used a 10-color palette for this piece and was struggling to find something that sparked some delight within. After clearing my canvas several times, the picture above started to appear, minus the people figures and minus the moon. I think that it was at this point that I started to see a city landscape and saw that adding the people figures, inspired by what I had seen in the other art earlier, would be an ideal addition. Once done, I decided to add the moon to help complete the illusion of the city/town, and I decided that I would name this piece A Night on the Town to help direct viewers.

I have stated this before, but I sure like creating abstract art. It just feels so freeing, not having some predefined idea of what is coming, or having to try and paint something completely recognizable and failing because it is too hard. I don’t want you to get the idea that abstract art doesn’t have its own challenges, but I think this type of thing really suits my mindset.

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Cosmos – Created by Don Cheke

I created Cosmos specifically as the feature image for this blog post. I wanted something ethereal and started with a number of concentric circles in the purple and pink range. I added some textures and adjusted the blend mode, which darkened the results. At that point I saw a solar system theme had emerged. To add to that theme, I added the planets and the central sun. To add some mystery, I added some figures that started life as a wire sculpture I had created years ago. I photographed the wire sculpture and then removed the background and inserted the figure into the painting, where I adjusted the blend mode to give it the feel I was looking for. I really liked the result and feel that it was a good choice for the feature image. You won’t know this by looking at the image, but one of the textures I added was a cross-section of a tree showing the tree rings. I thought that this blended in nicely and added a hint, or aspect, of growth, or the expansion of the universe over time.

Donald B. Cheke – March 3, 2025