Layers of Color

Horizon 2 (also titled Looking into France)

24" x 36" Deep, Gallery Wrapped Canvas

Mixed Media

Sold




Yesterday my friend Lesley McIver posted a comment about using color in her glass art. She sometimes feels limited in color choices since the glass is pigmented when she purchases the raw materials. I wondered if layering the colors would make a difference in how the hues were perceived.

In this painting, there is a great deal of layering with the pigments. Some you can see and others are more subtle. But the point it layering the transparent pigments gives a greater depth than can not be achieved by just mixing various hues.

Anyway, Lesley has me thinking about this...so I better get in the studio and see what comes of it.

Please do visit Lesley's web site to see her beautiful art jewelry. Christmas is just around the corner and her work makes the greatest gifts.

Color

Horizon 4


30" x 40" deep, gallery wrapped canvas
Mixed Media






Available







Like most children, I learned about color with a box of crayons. You know that box of 64 was one of the best gifts a kid could receive in my opinion. The thing is, my color learning stopped right there with that box of sixty-fours until I was a college student studying interior design. I adored color and found myself having strong opinions on the subject. From a design (interiors, graphic, industrial, architectural, etc.) standpoint, color can become a huge player in ones work. It is what most people identify with.

Then, along came computers with an additional needed understanding of color. But wait a minute we already know about this color and light thing. We have to understand the effect of light on color, so all of the computer color stuff stands to reason. But it wasn't until I could honestly manipulate color myself with pigments did the full impact of this valuable tool hit me. With color, I feel as though I can make so many things happen.

Now, for me, it is all about control. When you pull together an interior space, you typically are using colors which are controlled by other people and nature. You might choose fabric from one designer and furniture finishes from another. Then nature tosses in her two cents and the designer needs to make it all work together. This is a great challenge and a very rewarding part of the design process. But it is the artist, who can control color with just the slightest manipulation, who can pull these colors all together with the touch of a particular formula of pigment. Yes, it is even the artists in the designer who does contends with color in the design.

Don't get me wrong, it takes so much more than color to make a work of art or a design become cohesive. But color is a very strong element which draws so many people into a work.

You can probably tell, in this Horizon series, I have spent a lot of time exploring what effects colors have on each other as well as what effects light has on color. There is so much more to explore...

Just A Feeling

I recently completed reading the book Blink:The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcom Gladwell. (You can read about it here: http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Power-Thinking-Without/dp/0316010669/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0453273-1672743?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194884191&sr=1-1 )

The book basically talks about the power of gut reactions and when to know when to trust them. We have all had that experience, I am sure. Creative people seem to depend on them as they move through their days. But in our society of "testing" out everything, most people forget the power they hold. It seems to me the reason people want to read artists statements is because they want to understand the tested way the artist works. I, for one, have to begin painting before I can understand what I am supposed to be creating. My instinct leads my hands rather than my mind. I like to call it painting from my heart.

Knowing when to trust my painting instinct is all about trusting myself. However, trusting my instincts in other areas is a bit different. What Gladwell says is we all have these instincts and knowing when to trust them is often a matter of having a knowledge base about the subject.

I do highly recommend the book, if you have an interest in this subject. The book is well worth reading for the supportive stories alone. They will really help you understand more clearly some of the reasons things happen in life.

I have just started another book, The Power of Kindness: The Unexpected Benefits of Leading a Compassionate Life by Piero Ferrucci, which looks like it will be another one I mention in a later post.

Readjustments

Horizon 9

24" x 36"

Mixed Media

Available

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After a ten hour drive through some bad weather and traffic, we returned home after a good, productive week in New England. I am ready to get back to the studio, and hopefully I can make that time soon.

I have several paintings going, right now. The one I am showing you here is also from my current series.

As you can tell, water and light play an important part in this series.

Once I get myself back to "normal"...okay, so not honestly normal...I will be able to compose more text. Until then, this will have to do.

New England

Ah!

New England in the autumn. While it is well past "leaf season", it is still
beautiful up here. I am traveling with my son as he is looking at some
universities. We have enjoyed a lovely road trip, sans the highway gridlock
on Sunday! Yes, two and a half hours of never getting out of second gear on
my little car!

I have to say it is amazing to watch this process with my son. While it is
stressful for him, I can say his intuition is working beautifully. As a
creative adult, it is good to see someone who doesn't force issues and
spends time contemplating what is important for him.

So while I have not been in the studio this week, I have clearly been
inspired by the beauty of this area as well as the process of decision
making.

What inspires you?

Horizon 1

Horizon 1
30" x 40" Deep, Gallery Wrapped Canvas
Mixed Media

Available

The Horizon Series began when we moved to England in 2005. As it was the first time I had ever lived on an island, I was curious as to what lay beyond the horizons. In addition, I loved the light in that part of the world. The colors seemed to come alive there. It didn't matter if it was sunny or cloudy, the colors exploded all around me.

We lived in The New Forest in Hampshire where ponies and Highland cattle roamed freely. There hedgerows still defined and protected property. Cottages and small English Villages dotted the area. And people took their time as they moved through the days. All of that was very, very different from the Washington, DC Metro Area from where I had moved and have since returned. Maybe it is this difference which sparked these new sensations and wonderings. Southern England was (and I am sure still is) a lovely, lovey place to experience life.

For me, travel and moving does a lot to spur on my creativity.

Back to Blogging

Of course it has been forever since I have blogged. It is sad, really. Like most artists, I prefer to be in the studio. The thing is I want to blog. I like to write. So I am back. Hopefully, I can keep this up better.

Recently I have been considering the placement of some of my current series in a gallery. So I thought I would post an image here to let you see some of what I am doing.

This particular painting is from my Horizon Series - Horizon 3. It is a 30" x 40" deep, gallery wrapped canvas done in acrylics and oil sticks.

It is for sale. If you are interested in this work, email me. If you have any comments, please leave them.