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Ned Walley’s Full-Time Art Practice in Minnesota

Ned Walley’s Full-Time Art Practice in Minnesota

Ned Walley is a full-time abstract artist based in Minnesota. His work uses architectural forms, layered planes, intersecting lines, and color.

Before focusing on art full time, Ned worked in technology and real estate.

Professional Background

Ned was a founding member of Google’s Strategic Business Development Team in Europe.

He later moved into the Colorado real estate industry. Ned became a licensed Colorado real estate broker and Realtor® in 2012.

Within three years, he joined the top 20 Realtors® in the Summit County mountain community.

In January 2016, he became the owner and managing broker of Colorado Real Estate Company – Ned Walley.

Transition to Full-Time Art

Ned has since left real estate and now works as a full-time practicing artist in Minnesota.

His professional background included regular exposure to property, architecture, planning, and the built environment. These subjects remain visible in the forms and spatial organization of his artwork.

Current Work

Ned’s abstract compositions are built from geometric and architectural elements. Transparent shapes, curved forms, lines, and areas of color create depth and structure.

The work does not represent a specific building or location. Instead, the compositions use familiar visual elements to create new abstract spaces.

Ned continues to produce and develop new work from his Minnesota art practice.

How Geometry and Color Work Together in Abstract Art

How Geometry and Color Work Together in Abstract Art

Geometry gives an abstract composition structure. Color changes how that structure is seen.

Ned Walley’s artwork combines geometric and architectural forms with controlled areas of color. These elements work together to establish balance, depth, and movement.

Building the Composition

A geometric composition may begin with lines, curves, planes, or repeated shapes. These elements create the basic framework of the work.

Shapes can overlap, connect, or remain separated. Changes in scale and position help establish relationships between the different parts of the composition.

Ned’s work often includes several layers of forms rather than one central object.

Creating Depth Through Layering

Layering allows flat shapes to suggest three-dimensional space. A transparent plane can reveal the form beneath it while still creating a separate surface.

The result is a composition that can be viewed in more than one way. Some areas appear close to the viewer, while others seem to move farther into the background.

Using Color With Purpose

Color is not simply added after the structure is complete. It is part of the composition.

A bright area can draw attention to an intersection or edge. A softer color can connect separate sections. Contrast can make one form appear more prominent than another.

By controlling where color appears, an artist can direct the viewer through the work.

Abstract Art Without a Fixed Interpretation

Geometry provides order, but abstract art does not require one specific interpretation.

The same composition may suggest architecture, machinery, movement, or an imagined environment. The forms remain consistent, but the viewer determines how they are understood.

Architectural Forms in Abstract Art

Architectural Forms in Abstract Art

Architecture provides artists with a clear visual language. Lines, angles, curves, openings, and repeated shapes can be rearranged to create work that does not represent a specific building or place.

Ned Walley uses architectural forms as the foundation of his abstract compositions. His work combines structured shapes with transparent planes, intersecting lines, and areas of color.

Structure Without a Specific Building

Architectural abstract art can reference the built environment without showing a recognizable structure. A curved form may suggest a wall, roof, passage, or piece of infrastructure without becoming a literal image.

This approach allows the composition to remain open. Viewers can recognize familiar spatial elements while interpreting the work in their own way.

Lines, Planes, and Depth

Overlapping shapes create the appearance of depth. Transparent planes allow multiple parts of a composition to remain visible at the same time.

Lines connect and separate these forms. They can define an edge, indicate direction, or divide the composition into sections.

Ned uses these elements to organize each piece and establish movement across the work.

The Role of Color

Color can identify a focal point, separate overlapping forms, or create contrast within a structured composition.

Some works use concentrated areas of color against more restrained sections. Others allow color to move across several connected forms.

The relationship between geometry and color is a consistent part of Ned Walley’s abstract art.