Part Two

A couple of good issues came out of Friday's post on color. Since it is a subject with a lot to talk about, I thought I would continue with it based on some of the comments made as well as another thought generated by another blogger. I also want to share with you the work of of an artist I feel uses color and form to great advantage.


Lynette (visit her blog, Original Art by Lynette Clay, http://lynxes123.blogspot.com/ ) said when she was a child she loved the color blue, however now she adores brown. You would think Lynette was joshing you with her favorite color being brown, but she loves the way she makes brown by mixing the primary colors in just the right way for what she needs. She is also in love with the warmth of the hue. If you visit Lynette's blog, you will see she uses a lot of browns and needs to be able to manipulate them well...and she does. So, what is it about the color that makes the it so appealing to you? Remember, I said I love purples because they are not often chosen by a broad range of people, but additionally some would say they are difficult to use. Maybe I want the challenge, and I know I am different.


San said she was writing about totems on her blog (remember she can be found at http://alifewithaview.blogspot.com/ ) and would be addressing color sometime soon. This made me wonder if artists use totems regularly. Maybe these totems are not the ones traditionally thought about...like the appearance of a beaver in San's paintings...but the appearance of things like, well..., color! Is purple a totem for me? I posed this question to San and she thought it might come up in her future posting...so watch her blog.


Todd Camplin (visit his thinking blog at: http://camplinart.blogspot.com/ ) encouraged us to all keep talking about art and not just making art. Of course that is a lot of what happens with me. I love talking about art and creating things. Todd has been really encouraging and has some really interesting thoughts on his blog. So while he didn't speak of color directly, his indirect comment pushed me to this second post.


Now I also did a bit of visiting around different blogs this weekend. I was happy to see Philip Edson posting again (do visit his wonderful blog at: http://philip-edson.blogspot.com/ ). And guess what? Philip has taken color out of his work! He has had a few commissions where he was asked to do them in black, white and the values of grey. I asked Philip if he thought we might get colored out sometimes. This is what he said: "You are right I do feel coloured out. I got obsessed with the colour mauve (and variations of) and I never thought it would end but it has. Black and white seems so clean." And it does! Thank you, Philip, for that reaction and your post.


One other thing I did was visit other blogs and found one I thought was interesting was Julianne Richard's site ( she is The Colorspeaker at: http://www.colorspeaker.com/ ). She has a great way with color and form I think you will enjoy. Do visit and see what you think.


So color is sure an interesting subject. I hope you enjoy visiting these blogs and finding out what it is they do or do not do with colors! Also, please post a comment if you have any thoughts about this subject or if you blog about color and it's use or theory.

More Thinking...

Do you ever wonder if you think too much? People tell me I do all the time. I am not sure I understand what they mean, because to me I kind of zone out a lot, too. You know? I was reading the comments after my last post and Jess and Babs thought maybe there was too much emphasis on what art means. Jess (visit her blog, Messyjessie, at http://jess-messyjessie.blogspot.com/ ) said she has spent far too much time thinking about what her art meant and it was better just to go with the flow and stand back later to see what it means. That is good advice, but people keep asking me what it means...and I don't know! Then, Babs (visit her blog, Off the Wall Art, at http://wilsonart-babs.blogspot.com/ ) suggested there was really no need to explain what it meant that maybe it came from a place where only I went and could understand. That made me realize maybe it isn't about what it means to me (because it is the process I am interested in doing), but what it means to the viewer.

Then, San (visit her blog, A Life With A View, at http://alifewithaview.blogspot.com/ ) said she thought she understood what I was trying to say. My guess is she comes up against this with some frequency as a gallery owner. The woman who lives both sides of the art world. So today, I am back at thinking.

Jess said in another comment she was also a lover of purple. So I wondered what particular colors meant to different people. For me, purple is just one of those hues not everyone is drawn to, so I am very attracted to it because the majority of people are not! But here are some words which are attached to purple: intuitive, seeking, creative, kind, self-sacrificing, growth oriented, strong,wise, rare spiritual, good judgement, magic, mystery and royal. Well, I don't mind also being associated with these words. But here is something about purple which is important to remember...purple is a combination of red and blue! Red being a warm hue and blue being cool! So purple is balanced, just like green! Does that mean because I like purple, I am balanced...I think probably not!

So here is my question for you to ponder this weekend! What is your favorite color? What does is mean to you and what words are associated with it?

If you are interested in color, I highly recommend this very interesting book on the history of color, Color by Victoria Finlay. I am not traditionally a history person, but this book really held my interest:

Here is to your colors being bright and joyful!

Doodling and Digging

So often I am asked how I figure out what I am going to do or where I get my inspiration. I find that hard to answer sometimes, do you? And if people see the things I do to try and get to that place, they will wonder how one translates to the other. I can't answer that, either. Can you? The image above is just some light modeling paste tinted with acrylic paint which has been smeared...literally...onto some black paper. I then wanted to see what green inference paint would do on the rough purple hue, so I swiped...literally...some of that across the background. What about those three dots? Well a friend had sent me a jar of metal foil flakes, so I did 3 dots of gel medium at the bottom and stuck on a few of those. That is what happened. Not so exciting, but I learned a lot. These are the kinds of things that kind of push me into other larger pieces. I have tons and tons of scraps about, portfolios full of papers like this. Sometimes I pull those out and see if there is anything I wish to revisit.

What makes me come up with what goes on the scraps of paper? A lot of the time it is interest in how far I can push a medium. You know, what can I make it do? Other times, it just seems to fall into place as I am working on something. That is what happened with the WIP I posted yesterday. I had gotten a few books as gifts along with some new paints, etc. I wanted to see what I might make the paints do and try something a bit different. But I couldn't follow directions specifically...something in my just will not allow that...so I grabbed an idea and did it my way. That is often the way things work out. Is that the way it works for you?

Here is a snap from another example of something I did a couple of years ago...do you think I like purple? But I have just added the copper paint. I wanted to see what that would do and how it would react. So I just plopped it on here. Digging through old stuff is also a good thing for me.

My interest in what makes creativity happen pushes me to explore what that means for me and what it means for the viewer, too. I only wish I could find a place where I could explain it so people could understand what I mean. Well, I would blame the loss of words on my age, but I have often found myself dealing with that issue.

The Last Few Days

The cord has been found (thanks to my husband), so here is one of the things I have been working on the last few days. It is very different for me, but it has been fun to explore the various mediums I used with it. The canvas is 2.5" deep gallery wrapped 12" x 24". I painted the canvas with a smalt and titanium white acrylic and before it dried I applied moist, crumpled rice paper. I then dry brushed the paper with alizarin crimson then iridescent silver. When this was all dry - I gave it a good 24 hours - I pulled away the rice paper where it did not stick as well. This gave me some exposed holes of the underpainted surface and some cool rice paper to use somewhere else. So I decided I was going to outline those in carbon black. Once the black was dry, I decided to paint some blobs within these spaces...well, one thing led to another and the blobs began to look like blossoms so the rest is history. This is still a WIP to be sure.

One of the things I will try next time I do the rice paper application is to roll on the paint or medium before applying it - just a different way.

The other thing I have played with over the last few days is this:

I poured tar gel over a painted surface, dropped dots of paint onto the surface of the tar gel and swirled them with a wooden skewer. It took a long time to dry (maybe 5 days), but it is interesting. I used the tar gel as a suggestion, but I think I would like just plain gel medium better. I will keep playing with that. This is just on board...a small 5" x 7".

So there you have it. I am so glad to have the camera cord back...it feels like freedom!

Contemplating Color Again

Quite possibly it is the time of the year, although we have had a beautiful (almost spring like) day here today, but I have been thinking about color a lot. Maybe it is because I am still looking for that cord to download the photos from my camera (tomorrow) and I have been playing around with a lot of fun hues on my current canvas - I am not sure! Anyway, in thinking about how colors mean different things to different people, I remembered a photo I had taken just a year ago in Paris. The weather was quite warm that January day, there were so many American tourist around. My daughter and I were walking along and there was a lovely restaurant front sparkling away in the dusk of late afternoon. Of course I had to snap a photo! I did not get the impression this was holiday decorations as the colors were more spring like than winter. But the lights, glass balls and twigs just seemed to work just right for that moment. Isn't color like that?

It is wonderful how nature works in concert to create the most incredible color combinations. And in the case of the Paris restaurant, how color can change the mood when it is unexpected. I dare say if I had seen this same front, though, in full sun I would have been impressed. Why? Well, it was the light that made the difference...as it always does with color.

And color helps color, too. For example, this photo of the marzipan...

without the green the red would not appear as delicious! As we all know, this is using color to the max.

I have always been attracted to clear jewel tones. It doesn't matter if it is in a painting, my clothes or an interior...these are the colors I naturally gravitate to. Even in the last period of browns and more muted hues, I have stuck with black and jewel tones. Thankfully, these colors are returning! How wonderful is that?

Have you ever considered what your choice of color means? While color forecasters and color therapist have a good idea, I think it is an individual issue...and maybe a collective one since there are some relationships to popular colors and the economy.

Ah well, it is all interesting stuff! Elements of art interest us all, but I have a soft spot in my heart for this subject of color.

You might like this book....

This is a book I received as a gift over the holidays. I do use a lot of acrylics and Golden is my choice. This book was clearly commissioned by the Golden company, however if you are interested in learning about a variety of support mediums, this is an excellent place to begin. There are over 100 different techniques shown, but that isn't all that exciting in itself. What seemed to click for me was the wide variety of ways the mediums could be used and the ideas which began to bounce around in my head as I went through the book. The style is very loose and she gives suggestions for using them...actually there are quite a few finished examples. For me the book is just down right fun to play around with. My copy already has some page flags.

Today has been one of those days where you are going along and then, BAM! You hit a road block. My road block came in the form of not being able to find my USB cable for my camera! Such irritation. I know just where it was, however some people like to tidy up around here and move my things about...wonder why? Yes, I admit I like to have things where I can see them and live with people much neater than I! Anyway, until I find my cable, I can't show you what I have been doing. But that will happen soon, if I have to go and buy another cable! I suppose we all have days like that, though. There is just never a good time for them to happen.

Happy 2008!

Welcome to 2008!

2007 was an exciting year and 2008 is starting off with excitement, as well. I have been in my studio all day working on some new paintings and trying out some fun techniques. I hope to have some photos to show you all soon of the things I have been doing.

One of the most exciting things which has happened over the last week is the set up of my art web site. While it is still under construction, the url has been secured and the basics are up and running. Feel free to take a look at www.KimRodefferFunk.com Soon there will be new paintings posted there, as well. Some you have already seen here, though.

Today I have been thinking about what 2008 is going to mean for my art. I really hope to have a greater presence on the web this year and additionally hope to get some of these paintings sold. I want to remain open to all of the possibilities the universe has for me this year. I have never been one for resolutions, but want to continue to evaluate what my life and my art means.

So enjoy the day and come back often to see what I am up to.