Colour Relationships

I continued to use the same reference sources for this Project as I did for the first part, "Understanding Colour".

Itten (1973) discusses seven colour contrasts: hue, light-dark, cold-warm, complementary, simultaneous, saturation and extension. From my own experiments, I was able to recognise greater contrast between the yellow and dark blue-green than where the yellow was surrounded by a yellow-orange or yellow-green. Here the colours close to each other on the spectrum were appearing to cancel each other out. The complementary contrast examples I used, of yellow surrounded by violet and violet surrounded by yellow created an effect where the smaller square of colour appeared to sing out from its complementary. Using a neutral grey it was possible to set up simultaneous contrast effects with the grey appearing tinged with the complementary of the surrounding hue. Then using a large red circle I produced a successive contrast effect. Itten (1973) provides examples where varies artists have exploited the effects of contrast. I was able to observe how David Hockney has used these contrast effects with great skill and experience at the recent "A Bigger Picture" exhibition at the RA. In so doing Hockney has created spectacular landscape images that sing out and are able to express the changing seasons and changing light throughout the day in the Yorkshire countryside.

For the "Still Life with Complementary Colours" exercise I decided to continue to study the man made objects from the previous "Still Life" project. I have a tendency to work with blue and orange/yellow complementary colours so I chose to work with yellow and the complementary purple for this exercise, using white and mixtures of the hues to create tone and colour contrasts. I worked in my sketchbook for speed. I discovered I was tending to create a grey hue as I attempted to darken the tones and needed to add more yellow to keep some warmth in the hue. I was pleased with the tonal quality of this study and note that my choice of hues has created a cool image.

Whilst working on this exercise I had the opportunity to try my hand at lino cut printing. Using the the same still life theme I cut the image then experimented with colour mixing using the "Chine Colle" technique.

The lino cut process encouraged me to work more loosely and naively. The mark making was bolder than I would normally create in paint which I enjoyed. I believe I could probably produce a similar effect with paint using a sick rather than paint brush.

Wanting to explore the emotional response to my work, I chose the exercise  "Still Life with Colour used to evoke mood". I also wanted to explore the impact of playing with the objects' proportions and juxtaposition on the overall composition. Itten (1973) asserts that specific colours generate particular emotional reations and relates this to particular works of art. I wanted to create warmth and a degree of familiarity with the objects.


I produced some studies in my sketchbook before deciding on creating an image on a square support, in this case acrylic paper. I had originally started out in a more abstract manner but found I was drawn back to trying to reproduce the still life more accurately. I built up the composition working on the background and still life objects at the same time. I avoided using black and restricted my pallet thus creating a more harmonious outcome.

As the image developed I adjusted the colour of the background and "Mother Hen" figure as well as the alignment of the junction of surface and wall. Initially I planned to restrict the composition to three objects but felt there was something missing having carried out prior studies with a set of four objects. I therefore added the fourth object but at a reduced scale to balance the composition.

Comparing my studies of this group of man made objects, I am surprised by the range of effects I have been able to create even though they have developed over a number of weeks. Playing with the scale of the objects created interesting compositions enhanced by the juxtaposition of different hues. I have noted that by varying the chose of colours I can turn the outcome form a cool to a warm image and that by adding tone creates depth and a feeling of perspective.

Close to Home - Still Life

I was not sure if there was going to be sufficient interest for me in studing still life subjects but discovered that in the process of searching out interesting objects I was encouraged to view my home in a different way. I started by just sketching various subjects around my home not limiting myself to just still life.

I found this very liberating and fun. I worked with pencil sketches, some with water colour washes and also oil pastels. I found I was seeing and becoming more aware of the every day objects all around me - an infinite number of jewels that could be explored and observed in varying lighting conditions throughout the day.

My children have moved to their own homes but my daughter's bedroom still retains a flavour of her character and contains groups of objects that make me smile. Soft toys and novelty items sit on shelves and other surfaces sharing memories and providing compositions with stories of their own.

Sketching cut flowers exposed me to the aging process of the individual plants. Coming back to the flower arrangement several days after the initial sketches offerred new subjects as yet unexplored.

On receipt of the feedback to Assignment 1 from my tutour I researched, as suggested, the work of Patrick Caulfield (1936 - 2005) and Giorgio Morandi (1890 - 1964). I like the clean lines and even blocks of colour produced by Caulfield in his screen prints. Although I enjoy their simplicity and the associated happy memories of growing up with Pop Art images , I do not see this as a style I want to develop myself. I did however, use this research as inspiration for collage experiments i.e. Bottle on Green Background" and "Mother Hen".

I selected approximate compementary coloured paper from old magazines. Then using one colour for the image and its complementary for the background. To enhance the object I added a black ink outline with a fibre pen and an indication of tone. A single horizontal line behind "Mother Hen" places the object in space. I have subsequently added horizontal, vertical and diagonal black lines to the "Bottle on Green Background" to stop the object appearing to float in space and now it appears to be in a corner (see sketchbook). From this study I went on to reproduce a group of bottles in blue/orange complementary acrylic colours (the colours have not reproduced very well in this blog).

Having completed these early studies I was ready to progress with the "Drawing in Paint" and subsequent "Still Life with Natural Objects" and "Still Life with Man Made Objects" exercises. I decided to follow my tutour's advice and avoid using black pigment for this series of exercises instead mixing the selected hues to achieve darker tones where necessary.

A selection of plastic ducks in my daughter's bedroom caught my eye and formed the basis of the first excercise. I undertook a series of studies before settling on a group of three; one yellow, one blue and one green.

Working on a watercolour paper support, I started by preparing  a ground of white emulsion paint mixed with a little cobalt blue. Onto this ground I drew the outlines of the three ducks and position of the shelf on which they sit with a light wash of paint. I then blocked in the approximate hues of the objects and background areas. I gradually built up the intensity of the hues for the ducks in layers. The green duck being created from a mix of the cobalt blue and orange yellow. Red was used to provide greater warmth to the background, darken the shadow below the shelf and form the orange for the beaks. Shadows and tone were created from blue and red blue washes. Finally highlights and eyes were added to bring the ducks alive.

The next exercice I chose was the "Still Life with Natural Objects". I selected some readily available objects from my kitchen, positioned them on a board and produced a few studies in my sketchbook. Working with pencil, pen, colour washes and acrylic, I studied tone, natural colour reproduction and experimented with composition.

Once I was satisified with the studies I prepared my watercolour paper support as before with a ground of light green as I would be working in reds and oranges. I built up the intensity of the hues adding layers using a moist brush for the smooth pepper and a dryer applied finish on the onion to enable under-layers to show through. Adding blue to the red of the pepper provided the tonal effect. The tonal effect to the multipal colours of the onion were more challenging and also more satisfying to create. I am however disappointed with the shadow cast by the pepper which feels too dense and laboured. The carrots were almost an after-thought but help to balance the composition.

Working with objects that had different textures and shapes as well as hue variations encouraged me to use different approaches to the aplication of paint in this exercise. I also focussed in on a part of the subject which created a more satisfying composition for this work. I was pleased with the final arrangement with the most complex object, the onion, in the foreground. However, I feel that by showing the edge of the supporting shelf in the ducks painting helped to position the objects better than I achieved in this exercise.

For the third exercise I chose "Still Life with Man Made Objects". I carried out a few stuidies including photos, pen and colour sketches before I turned to the work of Giorgio Morandi for inspiration.

 

I completed this exercise to approx. A4 size within my sketchbook so that I would work fast and not get too bogged down with perfecting the outcome. I was pleased with the painterly feel particularly the different tonal effect achieved in the background.

 

Compared to the previous exercise, I felt this was less overworked and still created interest in the hue variations and contrasts within and between the objects their foreground and the background. The shapes and textures of the objects in this last exercise were more complex and challenging than the choice of three similar ducks in the first exercise. I managed to introduce my desire for some fun in both the ducks and use of "Mother Hen" in the final exercise. I felt the exercise with the natural objects was a technical challenge but less motivating than the first and last exercise.

Understanding colour

I started this blog in mid-January and although I have found the introduction to the history of colour theories very interesting and also another starting point when observing other artist's work, I became engrossed in background reading not wishing to complete the blog until I had finished my research! This has taken the form of desk top reading/reviews of three main reference books, i.e. 

1. Anderson Feisner, E (2006) Colour - 2nd Edition, Laurence King Publications.
2. Itten, J (1973 ed) The Art of Colour, John Wiley & Sons.
3. Jennings, S (2003) Artist's Colour Manual, HarperCollins Publishers. 

plus "Google" web searches supported by further visits to Tates Britain and Modern as well as the Hockney exhibition at the RA. I have discovered there is much to learn about colour theory and its application. I can only hope to grasp the basic principles at this stage of my development and aim to increase my awareness over time.

I was familiar with the general principles of light from prior studies in physics and architectural design. I was also aware of the differences between mixing primary light colours and pigment colours. I now realise I have only scratched the surface in respect of colour theory and its application.

I feel I have begun to increase my awareness of different transparencies and colour bias of the manufactured pigments through experimenting with mixing and overlaying different hues. What has also been enlightening has been gaining a greater understanding about the impact of optical illusion and optical mixing  when mixing or positioning different hues next to each other. I recognise that although as individuals we see things differently, particularly for those who have difficulty distinguishing specific colours e.g. red/green "blindness, certain visual rules hold true irrespective of cultural backgrounds, age or gender.

As recommended, I researched Michel Eugene Chevreul (1786-1889) discovering that he was a chemist/dye master who investigated colour and its reactions with his findings being published in The Principles of of Harmony and Contrast of Colours, a reference document familiar to artists of the period. "He verified that all hues could be obtained from mixtures of the primaries red, yellow, and blue, but his greatest contribution was his recording of the reactions that colours have when placed side by side or in relationship to each other." (Feisner 2006). Chevreul's work led to the colour theory laws of simultaneous contrast, successive contrast and optical mixing. His research also led him to proposed colour harmonies for the production of colour schemes.

"Simultaneous contrast results from the fact that for any given colour the eye simultaneously requires the complementary colour and generates it spontaneously if it is not already present.....The simultaneously generated complementary occurs as a sensation in the eye of the beholder and is not objectively present." (Itten 1973).

"Successive contrast is the afterimage reaction that colours impart when the eye views them one after the other." (Feisner 2006).

"Optical mixing is the result of two or more colours mixing visually to..." appear to be "..another colour."   (Feisner 2006). The pointillist technique of George Seurat (1859-1891) used this optical mixing reaction to great effect.

It is understood that Chevreul's work influenced many artists of the period notably Delacroix (1798-1863), the Impressionists, Seurat (1859-1891) and other Neo-Impressionists as well as the American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910).

From my own experiments:

• When creating a grey scales, I have observed the optical illusion of mid-grey juxtaposed to white appearing darker than when juxtaposed to black.
• When mixing pigments by adding white to the darker hues helps to maintain a consistent tonal value.
• A greyish hue is created between orange and green blue i.e. a broken/tertiary colour.

Creating my own colour wheel using mixes of my own pigments has helped me start to improve my ability to associate specific combinations of pigments with hues of varying tone. I have observed and experimented with the addition of titanium white to achieve more equal tones - more practice needed!

This process is helping me learn to mix hues with a pallet knife prior to applying rather than mixing with a brush wet in wet on paper as I have with water colours/washes for several years. I am also experimenting with different means of keeping the acrylics moist whist mixing and have found that a sealed Tupperware type plastic box with moist wick under grease proof paper seems to work.

I am now looking more closely at the work of other artists to see how they have applied these theories in practice. At the current David Hockney exhibition at the RA, I was able to explore how he has used the juxtaposition of hues to get effect in his landscapes of Yorkshire.

Practicing Techniques from Part 1

Working through the exercises in Part 1 has been both frustrating and enlightening. Learning to appreciate the limitations and opportunities with acrylic has been slow and at times tedious. I have gone back through the exercises on completion of the first assignment to reinforce my understanding and practice some of the the techniques before moving on.

Applying the paint medium thickly with different items and scratching marks into the wet paint is very liberating. At the time I was experimenting with this technique I visited the Gerhard Richter exhibition at Tate Modern. I found a series of grey tone paintings he produced between 1968 and 1973 particularly inspiring (i.e. Grey Beams 1968, Inpainting (Grey) 1972 and Portrait, 1973). Richter had used different contrasting marks in the three works from radiating bands, a lattice of intertwining,freely woven curvaceous marks to wide short horizontal marks in a brick like pattern. In later work, Richter has used colour which has been scraped across the canvas, some applied apparently wet on wet and other colours applied as a partial layer / marks onto a dried a surface.

Working in pastels I discovered the potential of oil pastes was vastly increased when smudged and worked with white spirit on a cloth. I like the strength of colour obtained with the oil pastels and also the limitations with respect to fussing over details. Soft pastels are more demanding as they need to key into the support and if not fixed quickly smudge and lose their form. After visiting the Degas exhibition at the RA, I experimented with using tracing paper as a support but found that using modern pastel paper was more satisfying particularly starting with a coloured ground as illustrated here.

Having worked with water colour and ink washes for several years, I found the washes produced using acrylic paint were less translucent. They also dried quicker than water colour and similarly to ink washes are permanent and can't be re-worked in the same way as water colour. Despite my limited practice to date, I discovered that I could actually produce a more even transition from dark to light using acrylic white than when applying a wash. A moist brush and pre-dampened paper helped to get a smooth transition. These practice pieces were on relatively small A5 pieces of paper and I discovered that on larger areas (e.g. Assignment 1) the quick drying time of acrylic paint makes quick working essential without the aid of extenders.

The monochrome studies took me back to my comfort zone. Preparatory sketches in pen and ink and then with thick paint and wash contrasting techniques in my sketch book felt free and expressive. Then using these studies to produce larger works created an unexpected outcome.

The flat opaque grey background I created was uninteresting and I had difficulty achieving the density of paint colour with the fine brush when applying the mixed ultramarine and black. In my sketch book I had produced vertical brush marks in a dry applied grey near wash. Also the spatula applied paint added to the texture and interest. The overall effect was freer. In contrast the painting of opaque negative spaces over a darker wash produced a pleasing ghostly effect. It has produced a more 2D pattern with the marks in the wash creating interest.

The final tonal studies were fun to produce. Using charcoal and pencil studies in my sketch book these were followed up with tonal studies on white and darker supports. I used a mix of opaque and wash painting techniques with the foreground opaque and background washed. I preferred the outcome working on a white support. My attempt at applying the chiaroscuro technique using a dark support was less successful, I believe, due to using a washed dark tone rather than an opaque background.

I plan to practice colour blending and applying the chiaroscuro technique to improve my technical skills. However, I feel that by mixing opaque and wash techniques to suit the subject and /or theme I am working on, I will be able to create some interesting, more spontaneous and personalised outcomes in my future work.

Assignment 1 - deciding to stop

Eventually I came to a stop! A point where I had become more interested in moving onto another subject and a recognition that I felt I was fussing over small details as the light changed within my studio.

As I progressed from initial layout, through blocking in colour and building tones to adding detail, my progress slowed. I had planned to leave the background as a plain colour but on stepping back and leaving my work for a few hours, I decided to add more detail. The background was prepared from a tablecloth with a checkered pattern in different tones of blue. A simple fold across the middle just off vertical distorted the regularity of the checks. By sketching in the squared pattern with a chalk pencil, I proceeded with filling in the pattern with individual blocks of colour. I wanted to illustrate the light variation from top right to bottom left which I achieved by gradually darkening the pattern as it progressed from right to left. The cloth was not smooth so I wanted to create the impression of woven fabric by overlaying translucent layers. I added some warmth to the background (also present in the original tablecloth) by mixing a small amount of cadmium red with the ultramarine.

The pattern was built up over a tonal base layer and required on-going re-mixing of pigments to achieve the effect I was after. Once I have worked the background, I reviewed the impact on the main subject. I checked back on earlier tonal studies of the subject and set up a single light source in my studio to create clear shadows. Iteratively I added tones to the subject, then shadows. Following breaks (some of which were at least 24 hours), I readjusted the subject as my observation picked up minor issues I was not comfortable about.

I have decided that any new paint marks to the work is no longer adding value. I feel there are places where I have already over-worked the subject. I have not achieved a true reproduction of the colour or mottled effect of the original subject but am pleased with my brighter alternative. I have kept my pallet to three colours (ultramarine, cadmium yellow and crimson) plus white and black.

Finally I have positioned a frame over my work to see if this adjustment to the composition would create more focus to the shoulders, neck and head of the subject. I particularly like the detailed effect I have achieved around nose of the subject. The frame does increase the focus and makes the work resemble a portrait painting but I prefer the composition created with more of the background visible as illustrated at the top of this blog.

This assignment has reminded me of the importance of taking breaks, stepping back and viewing the whole work on a regular basis. There is always room for additional studies of the subject and those where I have used mixed media have produced some interesting outcomes that I want to experiment with further e.g. over-painting grey tone photographic prints. I recognise that I need more practice with achieving a smooth transition from light to dark (or visa versa) with acrylic paints, coping with drying speeds and mixing sufficient (but not too much) colour.

I do not want to develop a style that purely reproduces something that could be achieved more effectively photographically. I get most enjoyment from painted works that go beyond an optical reflection of reality and I am seeking a personal style that allows my imagination to express itself in a technically competent yet confident and playful manner.  This assignment has stretched me technically and through the studies, warmed me up to the potential for further experimentation and personal growth. I have also got more out of my visits to various exhibitions, being more observant and critical of others work as well as my own.

Assignment 1 - preparation

I have used my preparation for this first assignment to experiment with tonal studies and working on coloured grounds. I have chosen my garden sculpture from an interest in man made objects, the playfulness of the subject and its complex colour.

Starting with pencil and graghite sketches I got a sense of proportions, structure and tone. The bright low winter sun cast strong shadows helping to define the subject's mass. I followed this up with a series of photos of the subject from different positions using Degas's approach to studies of ballet dancers. I converted several grey tone photos into stenciles. Then by selecting two examples I produced oil pastel rubbings which enabled me to try out colours for my foreground and background. I also experimented with painting over a photo, re-drawing using drafting aids and also very loose over painting of some of the rubbings. I liked the effect I achieved when painting over the photo print. The paint layer was transluscent and allowed the grey tones to come through from the photo. The bured edges achieved by using a flat brush has softened the image adding to the overall effect.

Experimenting with different colours, I have arrived at a combination that achieves the outcome I am seeking. I have taken those colours then applied them to colured grounds. This appears to have enhanced the depth and strength of the images.

I have set the object up in my studio and am working on an enlarged version again using a coloured ground. I have discovered that working at a larger scale requires more thought to mixing sufficient paint and drying times. Working at this scale also takes longer! I have started the main work by sketching out with a chalk pencil then applying a first layer of ultramarine over which I am applying other colours. I intend to cut back through the upper layers of paint with sand paper once it has dryed to expose some of the under-layer

Experimenting & Observing

Before I started the next exercises I visited the Gerhard Richter exhibition at Tate Modern and Degas at the RA. The contrast between Richter's diversity of approach and Degas' apparent singular focus on movement was quite pronounced. What interested me was the use of photography by both artists. Both artists appeared to have used photographic images as the starting point which led them, through greater awareness of their subject of observation, to further experimentation and refinement of their own work.

Richter's work provided me with inspiration for my own experiments of applying paint without brushes. In particular his images in grey produced between 1968 and 1973 (i.e. "Grey Beams", "Inpainting" and "Grey") demonstrated how regular and fluid texture could be produced through mark making in a thick paint surface. I am interested in creating textural effects and will come back to this introduction this technique at some point.

I have enjoyed Degas's work for some time. I became aware of Degas iinitially through bronze castings of his wax sculptures and was then delighted by his strong, vibrant pastels of ballet dancers. Degas' level of observation comes through in his sketches and feeling of movement in final works. What struck me whilst at the RA exhibition of "Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement" was the vibrant effect Degas achieved from building up layers of colour and how from his knowledge and years of study he was able to create the feeling of movement with very little detail. His finished works come alive through the application of tone capturing the highlights from stage lighting or daylight from windows. Having been stimulated by the exhibition, I used one of the Degas images as inspiration for my experiments with oil pastels.

I discovered that oil pastels produced the strength of colour I was seeking and that by applying white spirit to a cloth I could blend and soften the colours I had already applied. Being relatively think sticks of colour I was able to work more freely than when using a pen or fine brush.

I went back to both exhibitions after my initial experiments observing in more detail both artist's techniques. I found that by producing thump nail sketches and making on the spot observational comments enhanced my awareness and have been a source for future reference. I was surprised to learn that Degas had worked on tracing paper a medium I am familiar with from my early career as an architectural assistant.

Subsequently using soft pastels and tracing paper (like Degas), I produced a quick sketch view of my garden. The blocks of colour and smudging technique used helped me to avoid introducing too much fuss and detail. In order to build up layers I had to apply fixative as I progressed. I feel that I have not achieved the tonal impact I was after and need further practice with this medium. I have using a coloured ground with greater toothing in the past and believe that achieved better results.

Having enjoyed my experiments with oil pastels, I decided to experiment some more with this medium and sketched a garden sculpture on my patio. Being very portable as a medium, I was able to sit outside despite the damp and cool atmosphere and produce a strong image fairly quickly without the drying delay that would have resulted had I chosen to work with water colour. I find this subject playfull and challenging due to the engineered nature of the metal sculpture with interconnecting parts some three dimensional and others just slightly moulded flat sheet all with a rust like finish. The whole subject is a combination of different man made objects (plastic and ceramic pots, artificial stone paving and metal sculpture) and natural material (gravel and plants).

Grayson Perry has explored the juxtaposition of objects in his current exhibition at the British Museum, "The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman". On visiting this exhibition I was intrigued by the playfullness of Grayson's own  works and how sometimes it was difficult to spot which objects were actually historic artifacts and not his own work. Grayson's use of rusted iron for some works created a feeling of age, weight and warmth. I had seen a TV programme about the background to this exhibition prior to my visit which helped me to understand the artist's intentions and appreciate the overall concept. I have enjoyed observing craftmanship and the whole construction process in building and civil engineering works throughout my professional career and can see this as a possible source/theme for my own artistic development. As a motorcyclist in my youth and middle age, I could not go past the customised machine at the exhibition's entrance without taking several photographs!

Whilst at the British Museum I was reminded of the spacial impact of the building structure on the exhibits.