Abstract art is surprisingly difficult to do well because the essence of the subject is extracted and depicted. For abstract art to be good, (and not merely a collection of shapes and colours) I think what it is depicting should be clear to the viewer.
Speaking to Sue my sister in law and art teacher, it is apparent there are two extreme approaches to art; either plan and execute a work painstakingly or do lots and be prepared to throw most out but these will have that spontaneity and freshness that the other lacks. This is such a succinct way of putting my current struggle!
The media does dictate how free one can be. Painting on stretched canvas tends to restrict me - the composition has to be fully determined as you can't easily cut off a section as you can with paper. Furthermore, the time one has to do the work also plays a part. Many of my best works were done at a life modeling session, where poses are short. The trick is therefore find the happy middle where you plan without stifling serendipity (allow zen to play it's part).
