“Afloat” Image. Ceres Gallery. New York. Solo Show.
Color relationships. Color is only a color when it is next to another color. For instance, tan can become orange when next to a bluish color. And tan’s orange-ness is washed out when placed near white. In fact, white sucks all color out of what it is placed against. When you are painting a room and you look at a color chip (surrounded by white on the card), the shade appears on the card a shade lighter than it will be when you put the color on the walls. So choose a shade or two lighter than the one you like on the paint store chip card.
I learned color from a disciple of Josef Albers, who made studying color his life’s work. Fred Gregory was in Yale’s M.F.A. program.
I met Fred when I was taking postgraduate classes at Atlanta College of Art. I was in the last Color Theory class Fred taught before he died. I feel lucky to have learned all the things I did: fusion of two different colors, vibration between two colors, a third color appearing between two colors. How to make two different colors look the same when surrounded by two colors. How to make the same color look different surrounded by two colors.
At any rate, color is only color, in relationship to other colors.
Ha ha I remember in art class at school by teacher saying she was “worried” about my choice of colour. I am quite good at drawing but not much at design, especially as the aesthetic was never valued in my family as I grew up. The accepted trend at school as that your picture should be more or less a “blue” picture or a “red” picture or a “yellow” picture. They did get good exam results too.
I find it more interesting how different colours go together because they are of the same intensity. So “jewel like” colours. “Candy” colours. “Pastel colours”.
I’d describe these colours as warm but muted – apart from the background blue. I do think contrasting colours in a picture is attractive.
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This Albers disciple (as he called himself) liked the jewel colors in painting too. Real red, real blue,true yellow. I had him for painting too. Funny, I learned to paint by being restricted to these colors. He also did not believe that color preferences were good. and like I said, it was all in the relationships of the colors together. Thanks again for your interest. You always bring such a good slant to things.You are generous.
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I like talking about *things* and discussing ideas. I have barely any formal training in the visual arts but I am interested in exploring what the things I see make me feel, what they could represent, the process and thoughts and intentions of the person creating. I like it that you welcome my comments even though I’m not saying anything artistically wonderful, but just being able to express myself.
Thank you for all of that!
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But you are wrong! Your opinions in the Fine Arts are really sound! But you are welcome! Of course. I value you and what you say.
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