More colour studies

colour study, 10 x 10

On April 30, I posted images of small "colour field paintings", from the final assignment in my on-line colour class. I've become quite addicted to making these little studies, and have decided to show some of them at the upcoming spring show for the Hudson Artists. I think twelve will make an interesting display when grouped together.

colour study, 10 x 10

Each one is acrylic paint on paper. The paint, both transparent and opaque, is applied in layers until some depth and interest is achieved. The paper is then mounted to a birch board, the edge of which is painted black. This is an inexpensive mounting that gives the work a "presence" on the wall, and helps flatten the paper.

colour studies, mounted

When I met with my group of text'art friends a couple of weeks ago, we all had fun putting together little swatches of colour to make three-colour collages. We looked for colours and proportions that had some "zing". In my childhood, people would have said that the colours "clashed". Does anyone say that anymore?

mini-collages, about 3" x 2.5"

I can still clearly remember being told by my home economics teacher in grade 7 that "Blue and green should never be seen together except in the washing machine." And I also recall people lamenting the choice of green shingles on a roof, as it would "clash" with the blue sky. Oddly, no one ever seemed to consider how green trees looked against the sky. I guess they weren't fans of the Fauves.

So, what am I learning from these little studies?

I realize I can use hand-dyed cloth to achieve this depth of colour. But working with cloth, piecing it together or collaging it into place, would create hard edges, and I much prefer the soft, modulated edges one can achieve with paint. So, do I just paint on cloth to get those soft edges? To be resolved....