Ugly! Ugly! Not Me!

Art terms sometimes get flung around and battled over by both pro and amateur art critics often with poisonous pens. Ugly! Ugly! is a place in The Land of Art and Artists I long ago refused to play in.

Today I am a minimalist and a very happy abstract artist.

(If, however, you’ve been to my other website, dorotheasandra.com, you’ll know I also do many whimsical florals and Great Lakes landscapes. Although I’m naturally an abstract artist, I do this other art for fun—and for hospital donations and for kids—and because I’m always encouraged to do more and told they bring health and healing and happiness into the lives of others.)

Getting back to the word minimalism, it generally refers to any form simplified or pared down. Yet, it can also refer to a late-1950s to mid-1960s American art movement. And to add to the confusion, today’s minimalism is also a popular lifestyle where one declutters one’s life to make room for more health, relationships, growth, and contribution. 

After living internationally and in many US megacities, the minimalist and artist in me chose to locate to a remote part of Northern Michigan. Each day I’m surrounded by so much fresh air, amazing vistas, and locals who naturally live a minimalist lifestyle.

This beauty of nature and the health of minimalism can be seen within the shapes and colors of my abstract art.

Beauty! Beauty! That’s Me!