"Settle In"

(unavailable)

"Fear flies away when thankfulness settles in." There is something about thankfulness that opens the door to many good things and gets rid of some bad things. The word "settle" is not a commonly used word, but it has a wonderful meaning. It means to become established in a place and thankfulness is a good place to get established.

This is the last in this particular color series. I began the week using blue/green and dark green plus white and black. Then there was the introduction of an orange complement followed by several other combinations. It is fun now to lay them all out and see how I feel about each one. Today's piece includes two sets of complements....orange and blue/green...red tint and dark green and yellow/green. I am still trying to discipline myself to identify colors by what is listed on the color wheel rather than using "trendy" names like magenta, chartreuse, hot pink, etc. My goal is to be intimately acquainted with the (12) colors on the color wheel in all of their intensities, shades, and tints.

Just to recap, my starting point in all of these collages has been black and white with the addition of color. From across the room, the division of space is strong and then there are many subtleties for close viewing. I have often read that judges of art shows look for strong division of space and good shapes which are quite identifiable from across the room. I am quite sure personal taste comes into play as well, but it is worth thinking about. Strong value contrast is essential for a piece to stand out from across the room, especially if it's a small piece. The challenge is to see if it can be done successfully.

The only danger I see in doing this type of collage work is entering into the world of visual overload. I've tried to overcome that by having many "echoes" in the piece. I will continue to play around with color percentages, but I will be interspersing some very neutral (like 80-90 per cent) in the next week or so. Doing small works is an excellent way to experiment with color, division of space, no detail or a lot of detail, etc. Give it try! And there you have it...just a few more things to think about.

"Surroundings" ($40.00)

(adjusted price....$40.00)


"Color and people are both affected by their surroundings." Placing intense color next to a gray color or next to its complement (or split complement) can vastly affect the way it looks. Likewise, the way people respond to their environment can make them feel peaceful or agitated. Hopefully, you have surrounded yourself with colors and items that make you peaceful.

Orange and Ultramarine Blue were used to achieve this "grayish purple" color. But then I decided not to use the Ultramarine Blue by itself but selected Viridian Green which is a split complement of orange. The darker green color blended with a very dark mixture of the Orange and Ultramarine Blue which caused it to look illuminated where the green was more diluted by water.

So the color moral of this story is to use those complementary colors to produce some wonderful grays that will provide the perfect setting for the more intense color. What is remarkable about the Cadmium Orange is that I really did add some Blue to knock down the intensity, but it still seems quite intense.

Observing color effects in different surroundings is a life time pursuit. Have fun as you try out more combinations. Just something to think about.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Fluidity" (sold)

(sold)

"Fluidity is enhanced by the act of observing as you work." Creating a good flow in every area of life is something to be desired. Different things will contribute to the way that process unfolds, but in art as in life, it most often happens by observing the things that move you, that enhance your process, and being self aware.

There are two pigments on the color wheel that are the lightest and darkest on the value scale (or gray scale). Yellow is the lightest and violet is the darkest. These colors are also direct complements. When used together they are highly charged and create a very ethereal look. In some instances, depending on the proportion of space each of them occupies, they can create an "unsettling" and disturbing look.

When I created this piece, I created two in case I didn't like one of them. It was a good thing because the arrangement and flow of the other one is quite disturbing to look at. It gave me the feeling of being "swallowed up". So goes the power of color. These color studies are very instructive on the power of color to affect mood and emotion.

Just something else to think about as you observe while you work.