When a Figure Emerges From Abstraction: The Slow Becoming of a Painting By Theresa Zingg

When a Figure Emerges From Abstraction: The Slow Becoming of a Painting

By Theresa Zingg

These photos share the evolving journey of an abstract figurative painting — from its earliest marks to the layered, intuitive surface you see now.

I began with loose shapes and open space, allowing the composition to suggest a presence rather than forcing one. Thin washes established atmosphere first: soft blush tones, pale neutrals, and drifting forms. From there, I slowly built structure — drawing into the painting, removing, repainting, and letting each stage dry before continuing.

Across earlier steps, textures were sanded back, veiled, and re-revealed. Lines became a figure. The figure dissolved back into abstraction. Then emerged again — stronger, yet still fragile. Marks were added not just to describe a body, but to record time: scratches, drips, interruptions, and quiet pauses.

In this stage the figure rises vertically through the surface — part human, part memory — held together by gesture rather than outline. Color moves between warmth and coolness, creating tension between presence and disappearance.

This piece is less about depicting a person and more about the feeling of becoming: resilience, vulnerability, and the way identity forms through layers rather than clarity.

You can see the full progression and earlier stages of this painting at:
https://theresazingg.com

Thank you for watching and being part of the process.
— Theresa Zingg