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| Beyond The Rocks image size approx 11 x 14 matted to 14 x 18-available |
It's likely that as long as I continue to make art, I will always think of myself as a "beginner" or "learner." These labels have to do with my personality of course but they also relate to what I do in the studio. Much of my efforts are directed towards learning: learning about art history and movements, discovering different genres of art making, learning how to use my materials, and exploring design. It's all new to me really, each experience. Sometimes I apply learning that came from a happy accident and sometimes I do something and wonder why I keep making the same mistakes over and over again. At times I am confidant but more often than not I question my abilities (and sanity!). It's all part and parcel of who I am and what I like to do with my time, which is to make art. It's really all an investment in "me" if you think about it.
An investment like this can bring results. One of the best payoffs so far has been in the area of color. I really enjoy learning how to use it and moreover, how to appreciate it as a component of design. Color is very complex though. Over the past several years I have heard from many people that color scares them. That statement always stops me in my tracks. Afraid? Hmmm... Well, I can now see why. It's the unknown and the complexity of the subject. But practice helps with this. The practice can prompt questions about color: Is the hue more blue or more green? What other colors is it next too? What does the color remind me of? In the comparison of two similar mixtures, which one is more green and which one is more blue? How can I enhance the color with another color? This list of questions is endless. And the answers are often surprising and along the lines of, "Hey, I didn't see that coming!" I have tried to help myself as much as I can. Doing lots of work with different proportional relationships of just a few colors at a time has been helpful. I have lots of tools to color with: crayons, pencils, chalk pastels, paints, and markers. (I use them too!) I have a little set of cards showing different colors and their names, countless books with color wheels, books on theory, and of course all of the time spent in my outdoor environment, sketching and making color swatches. This list goes on too.
The most recent thing I have added has been colored construction paper. Go ahead and laugh but it's unbelievably helpful in placing colors side by side to see what they do to each other. You can easily compare two blues or two reds and think about underlying color bias, one of my favorite topics! You can test out something in your painting prior to actually painting it. You can work with chroma, with value, and other color properties. The paper is cheap and it is a very versatile tool.
For the above piece, I used construction paper, both painted and unpainted, to get my composition together. I specifically used it to test out the color and chroma (saturation) of the color of the sun. Rather than painting and repainting, I simply cut circles of colored paper to see what worked for me. Not only did this work well in composing this piece but it also limits your choices a bit. It makes your decisions much more succinct. No room to mess around. Plus, the bonus is that little leftover bits can be used in collages. Because I don't have anything particular in mind, I am not constrained in my thinking. Anything goes with the collages. They are just for fun and just for learning.
Hope the week gets off to a good start for everyone. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Libby
Dear Libby I think your knowledge and practice really shows itself in all your work whether it is paint or collage. Using construction paper is such a great way to work with color. Think this would be very helpful to me. In life I am such a planner but in art I definitely do not do enough planning. So glad you are so generous in your sharing.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot to be said for planning and not planning! Or maybe even a mix of both.
DeleteI admit that the paper is a lot of fun too. Fun to have and to look at and think about. I paint it also and use that in the compositions. I bet you could do that with your watercolors on the paper or maybe even use old paintings to see what happens.
And thank you too. I just like writing about what I find out while going through my day and it's nice when someone wants to read about that:)
Thank you as always for the visit and comments:)
As an artist I can't imagine color scaring anyone. My neighbor is afraid of color, she has no color in her house, only shades of gray with black & white. No accent color. All of her clothes are black and white and gray. I admit I do wear a fair amount of B&W. But this neighbor says she is perfectly happy in her colorless world. Bizarre.
ReplyDeleteWell, it seems to and truthfully those sorts of comments have mostly come from quilters and beginning painters. My suspicion is that it's simply a subject that the person hasn't delved into yet. It's very easy to be intimidated also when your experience is limited or even if you think you are just a "hobbyist." There are probably all sorts of reasons that I haven't even thought of.
DeleteYour neighbor? Just a little off but OK, black and white it is. I wonder what her personality is like.
Very well-written, Libby. Your enjoyment of all the explorations you do is apparent in your tone. I must admit at times I am a paint swatch thief! I cannot just walk by the paint swatches in Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc. The colors are tempting, and some of the swatches have multiple values - from light to dark - on the same card. This allows me to compare combinations of color and their values easily simply by laying them out on a surface. A disadvantage of this, of course, is the size of the swatch. You would have larger pieces to compare with construction paper or cardstock. But they do come in handy. And, yes, I have used many of them to select a room color when we need a fresh look.
ReplyDeleteCarol,
DeleteI have done the same thing! Many times in fact. The swatch and paint section is so tempting. I did watch a video one time on Oregon Art Beat about a painter who used swatches to compare color choices. She used paint swatches from a store and her own hand made swatches I believe. They are such great tools. I also use a quilting tool purchased many years ago. It's from Joen Wolfrum and it's her 3-in-1 color tool. Very helpful but a little confusing because of the subtlety of the color shifts. Some shifts are really quarter steps as opposed to half or whole steps, if that makes sense. But, still very useful for getting yourself in the ballpark at least of what you think a color may be.
And thank you too for the compliment on the writing. I sometimes love what I find out, love to share it, and I always hope that comes through!
Thanks again!
I like Beyond the Rocks very much. The colors and shapes are exquisite together.
ReplyDeleteYou are I - along with most artists - are both explorers into our personal unknowns.
We have been using colored construction papers at the Artist Guild for years and our delight when scrap-booking became popular was because many new colors and patterns opened up. Yes - we live in wonderful times of the internet because I love it when I see someone like you, Libby, get all excited about this process and i would not be able to share in your joy otherwise.
Thanks Julie,
DeleteI hope that I continue to be interested. It's more than likely I will continue to not know so it should be a no brainer on the being interested part!
I used to scrapbook myself and did love the paper. Using the colors though was a challenge-I just didn't have any feel for things and certainly NO knowledge about using color in general. Even just having a little bit of information is helpful but really, developing a better aesthetic feel for things has been the best payoff so far. You think you have a certain level of taste or preference but honestly, until you start questioning and wondering, I don't know that you really have a firm grip on things. Sort of a tangent there but I think it's true.
Thank you as always for the visit and your willingness to share. I appreciate it!
Libby