Intimacy, Curves, Rhythm and Movement - The Rose

The Rose
Acrylic on watercolour paper
7.5 by 5.5 inches (19.13 by 14.03 cm)
including .5 inch border (1.33 cm)










I decided to crop the flower’s image and bring it closer to viewers thus reaching into our space. This creates intimacy. The lyrical, rhythmic curves of the petals give the painting and flower a sense of motion and life. I used contrasting (complementary) colors, red and green. Each color enhances its opposite color. I wanted to put more space between the flower and green background so I painted over the background with a blue white. This would push the background further into space.

Warm and Cool Color Contrasts - Cactus in the Desert

Cactus in the Desert
Acrylic on watercolor paper
7 by 7 inches, 17.85 by 17.85 cm
















I wanted to emphasize the heat of the desert. I did this by using a warm color, orange on the ground. The orange color bounces back into the shadows of the cactus. The contrast with the cool blue of the sky and the cool green in the background makes the warm color more evident. I also used a warm yellow light to make the heat stand out.

Making Texture, Movement & Making Dimensions with Color - Waterfall

Waterfall
Acrylic on mount board
7 by 9 inches (17.9 by 23 cm)
exluding .5 inch (1.3 cm)white border

This painting is about texture & movement. The texture is seen in the rocks & water & the depicted movement in the waterfall. (I am not discussing moving the viewer’s eye around the painting.) Texture is not usually seen in the shadows. I used a coarse gel medium to create texture in the rocks as well as thick paint. The waterfall was created by adding a thick gel medium to the paint & repeating linear strokes over each dried layer. I had difficulty painting the rocks. I needed to put more color into the forms of the rocks. Like most artists, I don’t consciously try to develop a style. But I am a colorist & I like luminosity. There are many different styles of color painting. An early traditional style was tonal. The artist built up the 3 dimensional forms by using color based on a light to dark scale. Think of a black & white photograph & the range of grays in the photo. The range that varies from light to dark is considered a value scale. Each color, i.e., yellow, has a local value. The value of most yellows is light. Purple usually is the darkest value. (I do not consider pure white & black colors.) You can also create form by the temperature of a color. Warm colors, i.e. orange & red, move the area/shape forward. Cool colors, i.e. blue, green, make the area recede. Remember though each color has a value & you can model or turn the form in space using temperature & value. One book I read recommended looking at the paintings by the master art works in the book. Which ones do you like? What are the dominant color schemes in the paintings? My favorite colors are blue & orange. This does not mean that the colors are pure. I like a brown-orange, a green blue, etc. So next time you look at pictures or paintings, consider why you like them. There are many reasons to like paintings beyond the color scheme. I also like texture & loose expressive brush strokes.