color in bloom

I didn’t find very much on this piece, but I was able to find that it was inspired by the work of Edgar Allen Poe. It’s not meant to illustrate any specific poem, but to evoke the feeling of macabre that comes from his poetry. The black Redon uses is softer and more diffused than Motherwell’s, and for that reason, it feels less overwhelming to me. It has a creepiness to it, but it’s not quite as heavy as other all-black works I’ve seen. 

For this week’s color palette, I was inspired by the shades from a bouquet of flowers my mom ordered for the house. I thought the warm yellow, pink, red, orange and off white complemented each other really well. I also found the colors of my shoes (especially the navy and peach) to be really pleasing with the wash of my jeans. The next photo is of the fig tree in our living room. The contrast between the teal blue wall and the vibrant green leaves stood out to me. I also found 4 shades of pink in the last photo I took of my breakfast- the pink of the bowl, my nail polish, the yogurt, and the raspberries. I thought it was an interesting observation.

Hebrews 13:5. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

“Semantic Satiation,” a series inspired by the work of Bridget Riley. From left to right: Lobster, Elephant, Scorpion.

During my research, I was really curious why Picasso would choose to work in grey. Personally, I don’t really associate grey with pain or brutality. Having grown up in the bay area, I associate grey with the fog, the ocean and the city- things that gave me a sense of home, peace, and contentment. If I were to represent pain I’d work in red, or blue for tragedy. However, Picasso’s intention when he chose grey wasn’t to convey an emotion- it was to make the painting look like a photograph. He wanted to draw attention to the urgency of the situation in Spain, and he chose to accomplish this by making the chaotic scene look fit for a newspaper. He ended up getting his wish. The painting was used to raise money for war relief, and he garnered a lot of publicity for the cause by allowing reporters to watch him work, which he rarely did. To me, this painting is a good example of the reasons why artists choose colors other than for their immediate connotations.

My digital color palette comes from the colors I had on my actual palette by the end of a painting session earlier this week. I found the mix of warm and cool colors to be really pleasing. Some other color observations I noticed this week include some blueberries, a fuschia flower, and my dog Charlie relaxing in the sun on a teal blue lounge chair. I thought the blueberries warranted a post because they matched my leggings almost perfectly. Lululemon calls the color of the fabric “true navy,” but I think “blueberry” might be a more fitting shade name. I took a photo of the patch of flowers because it was one of the only things I saw on my walk that wasn’t green. I’ve been spending a lot of time on the trails by my house, and most of the flora in my neighborhood is long green grass- it’s rare to see anything pink. I also took a photo of Charlie because I liked the way the yellow pillow and blue cushion looked with his reddish brown fur.

Here’s a bonus #lifecolor post. I had a whole bunch of purple, green, gold and tan paint left over from my color research this week, so I used my leftover paints to do a quick gouache painting of a woman in a lavender field. Every color used is a shade taken from the two paintings on the right. I’ve never painted a human face before, so it was a fun challenge! 🌸🍃

My first color observation this week came from the sunset casting light on the plants in my backyard. I was really struck by the warm, bright yellow color of the branches, since they’re usually a cool ash grey color. I spent a lot of time thinking about the way color and light works after seeing this. Next is a produce display I saw at Nugget. I thought it was so cute, and a really good example of effective color in marketing. The idea of the oranges announcing “I’m pink!” is adorable to me. Next, I took a photo of my airpods leaning against my hydroflask as I was working on an assignment at my dining room table. I found the juxtaposition of the hot pink/coral and dark, rich turquoise to be interesting. Lastly is a shopping bag I saw while checking out at the grocery store. I noticed the design contained all of the primary colors, and it felt so harmonious and visually pleasing. 

The next step is to begin blocking out how I want the colors to be patterned, and then begin painting. I’m feeling very good about this project and can’t wait to share the final product.

This painting is part of a series of several paintings of women wearing white. Whistler has stated multiple times that he creates art just for the sake of beauty, and he doesn’t have any implicit meaning in his work. However, the popular interpretation of this series has to do with innocence and virginity. Critics have said that the white dress, white lily, and white background are symbolic of female innocence. The wolf skin is said to represent the loss or corruption of that innocence. The allusions to feminine virtue are seemingly overt, and the overpowering use of white only reinforces this. Maybe Whistler is right and there is no meaning, and the symbols only come from his own subliminal ideas about women. There is no way to really tell. 

My color palette this week comes from the colors on my desk. I don’t think I’ve ever used my desk as much as I have during this shelter in place order. I used to do most of my work at school or in my office. Now I need a designated space to get me in “work mode” while at home, so my desk is actually serving a purpose beyond housing all my miscellaneous papers. This is why the colors stood out to me- the green in my fake plant, the teal paint on the desk and the gold accents on my office supplies. I’ve spent much more time looking at them than usual. I also noticed two pops of bright pink this week- my new Brooks running shoes and the blooming flowers on the tree in my front yard. Usually I gravitate towards dark colors for my workout gear, but now that my gym is closed I can only run on the road by my house and I have to make sure I’m visible to passing cars, hence the bright shoes. I photographed the flowers on the tree because the first signs of color always make it feel like spring outside. Lastly, I took a photo of some cans of tomatoes at the grocery store. The blue, red, and yellow felt very retro which made me immediately gravitate towards the design. I love seeing classic-looking packaging, especially in a sea of gaudy cans all trying to be as obnoxious and bright as possible to catch a buyer’s attention.