Tuesday, December 13, 2016

New Work: Rainy Days 1, 2 and 3

Rainy Days 1, 2, & 3

Rainy Days 3
16" x 16" painted paper collage

Rainy Days 1
16" x 16" painted paper collage

Rainy Days 2
16" x 16" painted paper collage
The above 3 pieces were created over the last two weeks and are an extension of my impressions on the weather and my landscape. It's so green right now with gray skies one day and blue skies the next. The grays aren't just gray of course. There are many subtle nuances to that hue that can be seen. Browns tend to really "pop" out and you notice too that those hues have lots of different color undertones. Greens are green but they are also blue-green and green-blue. 

It's funny (but not surprising) to me that I veered so far away from where I began which was with observing the natural environment around me. I spent a lot of time in the field observing color, painting it in my sketch book and noting characteristics of the colors that I saw. Lots of time was spent trying to assess relative values too. As I took in more information about art history, things changed. Color became color for color's sake, if that makes sense. Not color field painting exactly but certainly a use of color that had no reference other than that of hue relationships. Values kind of went by the wayside. It seems to me now that as I was casting about for what to do about inspiration (specifically about color) the answer was right there all along. I love being outside and looking around. There are certain color combinations that make me happy and that I can relate to. I worked hard at trying to grasp and limit value selection. Why not draw on those things as a source of inspiration?

Anyway, the above images are actually square of course. I had some difficulty getting my collage of images (first pic) to be exactly right. Life is short though (I drove by a funeral in progress today) and so I will leave it at that!

Thanks for reading and commenting.
Libby
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10 comments:

  1. UnknownDecember 14, 2016 at 12:08 PM

    It is interesting to me that the two that have the darkest sides seem so much smaller than the middle one. A feeling of being closed in. Optical illusion, I guess, but as always I look at it metaphorically. Interesting, also, is that the one in the middle has a darkish side at the top but it doesn't give me the same feeling at all.

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    1. Libby FifeDecember 15, 2016 at 6:11 AM

      Carol,

      With a limited amount of space and pieces to use, a great amount of variability can be achieved. I have been taking the final photos of my pieces and inverting the colors-light to dark and dark to light. You do get some different feelings when you switch up the value scheme. I have also been cropping sections of finished pieces to get at different formats.

      I like that you formed an impression like that, of being closed in or of being opened up. It is good feedback. I'll say that switching up the values and shapes and sizes has been revealing. The resulting effect is almost always a surprise to me.

      Thanks as always for your visit and comments. I appreciate them!
      Libby

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  2. juliefordoliver.blogspot.comDecember 14, 2016 at 10:02 PM

    Rainy Days is a great title and when I first saw them I saw the light - clear, bright sunshine light that stands out after the rain. I like the three together - a lot!

    I looked for the greens you mentioned and I can see the turquoise - a fav color of mine - but not green so I have to ask , when you said it was so green right now did you block that out on purpose and go with the gray and blue skies and the dirt colors? Its a great combination.

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    1. Libby FifeDecember 15, 2016 at 6:05 AM

      Julie,

      Thanks. I thought the title was kind of lighthearted. You know how the rain can depress people!

      I have green up next on the agenda; green and gray. The turquoise came in (and maybe reads a little more blue than green) because of some of the mosses that I have been seeing on the tree branches. They are sort of a silvery gray green. I was also sort of thinking about water color and that sort of thing. So, it's just an amalgam of watery thoughts, weather and landscape.

      To answer your question about the green. These pieces are pretty small-16" x 16"-and I found that adding in too many colors necessitated more pieces. More pieces started to feel very fiddly/fussy which is something I am trying to get away from. I am continually amazed at the impact of the size format. Smaller pieces and more of them seems less peaceful to me. So, I tried to limit my color relationships and to surround those with neutrals. There is a surprising amount of variability in something that is so simple.

      Thanks as always for your interest. I appreciate it.
      Libby

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    2. juliefordoliver.blogspot.comDecember 18, 2016 at 11:05 AM

      I agree with you completely about adding too many colors/papers can make it it too fiddly - love that word! It is same with my painting.
      I do think that the serenity that these three pieces invoke gives me a feeling of space, calmness and beauty. I would have to blur or match values to achieve the same expansiveness.

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    3. Libby FifeDecember 19, 2016 at 5:32 AM

      Funny because I think of the word "fiddly" as being kind of English!

      It's reassuring to me that the skill set is the same no matter what medium you work in. I took the very little that I learned with painting and have tried to apply it to the collage work. Once you learn some basic ideas they can be applied across the board and are especially enhanced by any kind of aesthetic that you may have developed. Even just having a little knowledge has been useful:)

      Glad you find the work peaceful. That is my goal:)
      Libby

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  3. Libby FifeDecember 15, 2016 at 6:03 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Deborah NolanDecember 19, 2016 at 11:13 AM

    Libby as I studied all three works I can feel the ups and downs of those rainy days. Each one seems to relate to the wet weather a bit differently but together they shift and blend making all three works so cohesive. The sienna shade adds a touch of warmth to each one. A perfect color to offset the cooler colors. Once again your thoughts of what inspires your work enriches my viewing experience. Hope you have the merriest holiday season friend. Will be looking forward to visiting you in the coming New year. Hugs!

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  5. Deborah NolanDecember 19, 2016 at 11:17 AM

    Libby as I studied all three works I can feel the ups and downs of those rainy days. Each one seems to relate to the wet weather a bit differently but together they shift and blend making all three works so cohesive. The sienna shade adds a touch of warmth to each one. A perfect color to offset the cooler colors. Once again your thoughts of what inspires your work enriches my viewing experience. Hope you have the merriest holiday season friend. Will be looking forward to visiting you in the coming New year. Hugs!

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    1. Libby FifeDecember 20, 2016 at 3:47 AM

      Debbie,

      Thank you for taking the time to look at the pieces so closely! I had a little more to say about things this time around and so I am glad that the explanations added to the viewing. Your observations are always so helpful.

      Happy holidays to you and your family. I hope all is well!
      Libby

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Thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it! I reply back in an email if you are signed in and I can see your address. Otherwise I will post the reply here under your comment. I tend to cut and paste my emails too so that others can experience the back and forth which I think is integral to blogging.
Libby

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