"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.

"Orange Steals the Show" ($40.00)

(adjusted price....$40.00)

"Orange steals the show in any landscape." One of the reasons I like fall is because of the pumpkins and gourds that are displayed everywhere. My favorite way to see them is in their original setting in the landscape. Enjoy them today in whatever setting you see them in. The chances are good that everyone will see a pumpkin today.

This piece may look like a monochromatic piece with only one color used in all of its tints and shades. But actually it's a complementary color scheme using orange and blue. The blue is well disguised as a gray, but its presence draws you in like a magnet.

Sometimes complementary color schemes are very obvious and create quite a "stir". But if you want a "quieter", more subdued feeling, mix them together with one of the complements dominating. The reason the pumpkin looks illuminated is the surrounding neutrals created by the "mixed complementary colors". The color of orange was kept more intense for the pumpkin which gives it the "glowing" look.

The importance of complementary colors and being able to take advantage of their power in any kind of artwork cannot be overstated. The orange in this piece would not have been powerful by using black to "gray" it down. Nothing dilutes a color and turns it into a neutral like the complement. Just something to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Energy" (unavailable)

(unavailable)

"Energy is activated by color, passion, and movement." In order to truly understand the power of color, we would need to be in a black and white world momentarily. It is color that acts as a spark plug in our visual world. Add passion and movement to ignite a new level of energy in your daily life.

Green and orange are very powerful split complements. Set them in motion with ribbons of color in a setting of neutral purplish gray to enjoy a delightful arrangement. The technique of playing around with suspended color in Pouring Medium also provides some interesting texture that simply cannot be achieved any other way.

The lettering took on a more active role in this piece, but it was neutralized a bit by mixing the viridian green and orange together plus white. If the background is very intense with a lot of movement, it is best to knock down the intensity of the lettering. It could have been made a bit more satisfying by bringing a bit more of the intense color up into the lettering. However, it never quite works to go back into a piece where pouring medium was the vehicle to try and add something more. It will look contrived and spontaneity goes out the window. So it is what it is and of course, there's always a next time. Just something to think about.

"Collision" ($30.00)

(adjusted price......$30.00)

Collisions happen everyday and not all of them take place in vehicles. There is nothing quite like the collision that happens when actions collide with reality. It's excruciating! The good news is that it can all be avoided by giving ourselves a "reality check".

As you have probably noticed, I am enjoying playing around with intense colors in a neutral background. A geometric icon was the perfect vehicle to introduce the intense color. It becomes more integrated by bringing some of those colors over into the lettering. It is also good to have soft, diffused, and gradated areas to give the eye a rest. Burnt sienna and olive green are good neutral selections to contrast with cadmium orange and linden green (WN gouache). Neutrals go way beyond brown, black, and white. A neutral is any color with less intensity as a result of being "grayed down" with its complement or another neutral. Anyway, it's a wonderful experiment to try.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Colorful Details" ($30.00)

(adjusted price......$30.00)

How do you garnish your life with colorful details? You can do it in any number of ways, but I like the idea of saying good and encouraging things to yourself and others. It is so easy to harbor negative thoughts. Enrich your life today with brilliant and colorful details of positive thought patterns.

You can see what happens when intense color invades a neutral background. It doesn't take much. Tiny, colorful details form rich backgrounds, and believe you me, I did not sit around "doodling" to come up with these particular patterns. They actually came out of a book called Paisley Designs by Gregory Mirow (Dover Pub.) Up to four plates can be used without copyright infringement. They are really quite fascinating (and also time consuming.)

Patterns are a wonderful way to incorporate the principle of a motif with variation. There are common denominators such as color in all three patterns and even though they are different, using some of the same color throughout unifies the piece. It is exciting to do fun, "off the wall" pieces like this. It's summer...give it a shot!

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"The Itinerary" ($60.00)

(adjusted price....$60.00....mounted on 1.50" depth clayboard)

Webster defines itinerary as a detailed route. I am absolute positive that every woman on the planet has a story about the man in her life getting lost! The underlyin meaning of this quote is that you don't want to end up in front of a shack when you thought you were on the way to a mansion. This has meaning on so many levels. Think about it.

Edges are very important in this piece. Actually, they're important in every piece. I wanted to convey the idea of being lost by creating very diffused edges. Think about it...the feeling you have when you're lost is something akin to a mental fog. Even the edges of the lettering blend in by virtue of their value.

It's all about the kind of mood you want to convey. Yesterday's posting was very intense with well defined edges. In today's piece, the colors are muted with soft edges throughout. It's all about setting the mood to fit your visual story.

Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.