"Poinsettias"

(unavailable....in the permanent collection of dee day)

"Poinsettias say Merry Christmas by their presence alone." This piece could have been dedicated to my mother if she were still alive. On second thought, I think I will go ahead and dedicate it to her anyway. She loved poinsettias at Christmas and they did extremely well in the tropical climate of South Texas. Enjoy looking at these beautiful flowers for a few more days. I am sure you will see some, even at the grocery store.

This piece is a classic example of the two most powerful complementary colors placed in a neutral colored pot. Notice that there is only a small bit of green. In fact, when using direct complements, it is best not to allow each color to take up equal percentages of space. It is much more powerful to let one of the two complements dominant.

Another point about using white lettering if there is no white in the image. In this case, I mixed titanium white (out of the tube) with Liquitex Pouring Medium. Some of the specks of white will stay suspended in the medium which gives you a random placement of white specks to tie in with the lettering. The flourish in the upper right hand corner also unifies the color scheme. The white lettering would not have been nearly as effective if these connections were not established.

Another point, also, about cropping. I originally wanted to include the entire container in my piece. It didn't have the "wow" factor and the insignia on the pot wasn't showcased so the entire problem was resolved by zooming in and cropping the image up close. The "rule of thumb" is to allow the focal point to take up the largest percentage of your design space. Just something to think about.