Sometimes all at once, Abstract Art Figurative oil painting by Laurie Rubell

Sometimes All at Once is an original abstract figurative oil painting by Laurie Rubell, created across two hand-stretched canvases. Bold lines, layered color, and expressive forms move across both canvases, creating a continuous composition that shifts between abstraction and the figure.

Each canvas measures 40 × 29 inches. Displayed together, the complete artwork measures 40 × 58 inches. The two canvases are designed to form one unified painting, although they can also be displayed separately to create a different relationship between the artwork and the surrounding space.

How This Abstract Figurative Oil Painting Was Made

This painting took approximately four months to complete. I began with a deep blue base layer and worked directly on both canvases without preliminary sketches, allowing the composition to develop and change as I painted.

Above the deep blue, abstract figures gradually emerged. They appear to float, shift, and merge as lines, color, and space move between the two canvases. Rather than beginning with a predetermined image, I allowed each brushstroke to influence what came next.

Using artist-grade oil paints and a wide variety of artist brushes, I gradually built the surface through thousands of brushstrokes and layers of color. This process created the texture, movement, and depth visible throughout the painting.

Each canvas was stretched by hand over a wooden frame. Sometimes All at Once is a one-of-a-kind original artwork. No prints, copies, or limited editions have been made. The painting is signed and dated on the back.

Close-up photographs reveal additional details in the layered oil paint, brushwork, color, and surface.

Painting Details

• Original one-of-a-kind abstract figurative oil painting
• Diptych composed of two canvases
• Each canvas measures 40 × 29 inches
• Overall displayed size: 40 × 58 inches
• Hand-stretched canvas
• Created without preliminary sketches
• Signed and dated on the back
• Studio visits available by appointment

Part 1 – Why I Create Two-Canvas Oil Paintings

Read Part 2: How My Abstract Diptych Paintings Developed