A basket full of colour |
1) Improve my understanding of colour.
2) Improve my understanding of composition.
3) Strive to infuse my work with more personal expression/interpretation.
That pretty much covers everything, doesn't it?
Maybe I'm a geek with my lists and my planning. I don't always accomplish everything I plan, either. But I can say with certainty that I get more done and get closer to my goals when I have a plan (and a list) than when I don't. Plus, it gives me some illusion of control in a chaotic world...but that's a discussion for another day.
Back to the list in question. Item one. Improve my understanding of colour.
My home made colour wheel. Note the confusion over where to draw the line between warm and cool colours. The jury is still out. I learned a lot doing this! |
The first assignment is to create a piece in a monochromatic colour scheme, using different values of a single colour.
Variations on a single colour. |
Analogous blue-green/green/yellow-green colour scheme. |
Colour Study #1, 5 " x 7 " x 1.5", Yellow/Violet Colour Scheme |
Colour Study #2, 5" x 7" x 1.5", Blue-Green/Red-Orange Colour Scheme |
Step 4 in my colour assignment is to execute a piece in split-complementary colours, so instead of using the colour directly across the colour wheel, you use the two colours on either side of it.
My brain gets easily bored, however, and I also wanted to explore the psychological properties of colour. I've been tossing around this idea of 'Zen Art'; pieces that are meditative for me to create and meditative for the viewer to observe. I knew colour would play a large part in this. Green, not surprisingly, gives us feelings of harmony, balance, and peace. Using green as my starting point, my split complementary colour scheme would be green, red-orange, and red-violet.
Here is what I chose to work with:
Green/Red-Orange/Red-Violet Yarns |
The Sunny Day, 9" x 12" x 1.5", Green/Red-Orange/Red-Violet Colour Scheme |
Overall, this has already been a great exercise and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in brushing up on colour theory. It seems elementary, but my pieces are obviously strengthened by good use of colour.
Now we are a third of the way through the year and I am ready to add my second artistic goal into the mix. Improve my understanding of composition. I'll let you know how it goes!