"Variety and Repetition" ($40.00)

(adjusted price.....$40.00)

"Leaves are a never ending visual of variety and repetition." Trees are everywhere and it seems they provide more variety than any other thing in our created world. Most of us can walk out the front door and see an endless variety and repetition of leaves, especially this time of the year. It is good to enjoy them and be thankful for this never ending visual.

Several weekends ago the first layer of this piece was created in a color workshop with gesso, lines, and lettering. By accentuating some of the shapes with additional color and Liquitex Pouring Medium in the second layer, the form of the piece began to take shape.

The color provided the inspiration to end up with leaf shapes. The only problem with using one color in several tints and saturations is the lack of variety or too much harmony. By adding just one green leaf with the edges beginning to turn, the necessary contrast balanced out the warm red tones.

Complementary colors not only satisfy the eye's search for the complementary, but it also gives the contrast between warm and cool. Remember that the eye is always searching for the complement of any color...even when it is not present. So there is an unsettled feeling that something is missing unless it is included.  It does not always need to be this obvious, but simply mixing a bit of the complement to "gray down" a color will also be pleasing to the viewer. Just something to think about.


Please contact me personally to inquire about this piece.

"Variety" (sold)

(sold)

Can you imagine a world where there was only one kind of tree or one kind of flower? I would be on my "soap box" making the case for palm trees! Fortunately for all of us, we have the pleasure of enjoying a variety of design elements every day, whether it's in nature or art.

As for this piece...I enjoyed painting a plant that is in an abstract environment. It's okay with me that there is not a blue sky and a traditional landscape scene. The only danger with variety is that there can be too much which causes visual confusion. One of the first considerations in balancing variety with harmony is ...to keep the main thing, the main thing. This plant fits in beautifully with this background because the colors are so analogous. The choice to add more burnt sienna with some of the darker green and place it in the foreground was to warm up the painting a bit and ground this piece with some darker values. (Burnt Sienna would be a darker version of orange which is the split complement of green which is why it works so well.) Consider variety in your next work or simply look for it in other artist's work.