Chroma or Achromatic

A year or so ago, I joined a week-long sketchbook challenge where each day was assigned a different color. What an incredibly easy prompt. The challenge got me digging into some of my collage papers that I’d stored away. New, unused materials came out to play. I started looking around my home, through my photographs, and within nature. After the week was over, I added brown and black to my work because I wanted to keep going. It was a fun, simple exercise that got me excited to work.

Color still influences the way I notice the world and how I challenge myself. This past spring I worked on a series of 12 small paintings with crows as my subject. I’ve always found it difficult to paint black because black is so colorful. Each painting became a study in black. I worked on a pyrole red painted surface and a very limited palette. The red created a glowing surface and allowed me to just focus on the lights and darks first. Crow forms emerged beautifully in a full spectrum of color.

Spring was the beginning of my yellow series. The yellow forsythia and yellow daffodils made me feel alive. I started looking for yellow everywhere and my camera roll captured spring in full bloom. I completed 10 hand printed collage paintings on paper. Yellow is truly happy and I had such joy working each day mixing a touch of yellow into each color I mixed.

Going into the summer months, purple became my next passion.  On my easel are 10 works of art that I started as part of my 100 works.  I just knew that these works were calling to me.  I once again find myself searching for purple everywhere around me.  It feels like the perfect coolness for hot summer days.  Purple is not a color that I typically gravitate toward, and I know it will create an excellent challenge as I move into my next series.  I am excited to discover what purple will communicate for me.

What do you want to say through the language of color?

Thank you for being part of my journey.