People can create or
compose in many ways:
- Painting
- Music
- Dance
- Writing Papers or Speeches
- Floral pieces
- Architectural Buildings
- Scenes on Stage or in Film
- A Plate of Food
- Clothing/Fashion
It occurred to me awhile
back that in every Painting I desire to use elements and colors which
accentuate and support the Center of Interest.
A Center of Interest
is like the Protagonist in a book, Key Points in a
Speech, the Melody Line in Music, or the Lead Actor in
a play, or Lead Dancer in a dance routine.
Each leading role also has
supporting elements. For a painting, these are colors and values which do not
dominate or overtake those of the Center of Interest.
These value and color
changes must be distinct enough from other elements to create
a separation, but also similar enough to create Harmony.
In Painting, you use value
and color tone to bring elements forward or backward, to the eye.
I tell my students that
each painting, needs at least six
different tonal values when completed. These different value changes
create a strong painting which has depth.
You can walk into the scene.
The
painting progression in this blog shows how I slowly layered many
different transparent washes over another below it, to create the
mountains, trees and lake, leaving the sailboat as the lightest object, so that it stands out.
This
was my second attempt at this same scene, I needed to repaint it
slightly smaller, in order to fit the painting into the frame. I
enjoyed the process of painting it a second time!
I
noticed again as I painted how there are real relationships in paintings,
between layers and colors. This is due to watercolor's transparent
and translucent nature. Each wash is influenced by the previous one.
You
can't see this aspect as much with oil and acrylic because they are
opaque medias – and the artist can totally COVER paint that has
been put down previously, if desired.
With
Watercolor, you can see your “history”. Each layer has meaning
and purpose.
Relationships
in Life
As
usual, I applied what I was seeing in my painting to Life.
I
know the myriad decisions I make on a daily basis are often colored
by past decisions, thoughts and actions.
My
relationships with people around me is often supportive, but not
always. Sometimes I focus on my own projects, sometimes on helping
others. There is a balance to it.
I
notice how when I change direction or make new decisions in life,
others often either react or need to respond differently to me, just
as when I paint I have to adjust values around what I've just put
down.
There
are times when my relationships with others seem stagnant, lacking
vibrancy and growth. Other times there is connection and
communication that is electric! Perhaps this is like “painting with
complementary colors.”
Sometimes
just small changes in attitude or vocal pattern can cause another to
“move” and change for the better. I see this with my little
nieces. They need to be cajoled, to some degree.
Building Good Character as you Paint
Watercolor
requires applying Boldness, to paint when it's scary. To try again if
a wash isn't dark enough.
Yet
also Sensitivity, Gentleness and Attention to detail.
Determination
is also needed. I nearly stopped before gaining just the right values
at the end of this painting, “Luminous Sails II”.
The
Artist's job is to help the “Center of Interest” shine!
I
desired to make the sailboat sails (my “center of interest”)
stand out from the sky and lake. This meant continuing to add thin
layers to the sky with a soft brush.
Correspondingly
in life, we
are not the “Center of Interest” - this is the role of our
Creator. Our lives were masterfully designed to focus on loving,
worshiping and praising His
glory. We are His Body, His Bride and His Loved Children. As such, we
support the Head, which is Christ the LORD, the Bridegroom, and our
Father in heaven.
How
can I live to make Christ and His truth shine? How does my life and
lips, actions and attitudes give Him glory?
Using
Color Effectively
In
visual art you can accomplish this accentuation using clear and
grayed tones of color. For
example, the sailboat in this piece is the lightest
value. It is
also a clear color.
Grayed
tones recede while clear tones come forward. Purple
recedes while yellow comes forward. Grayed purple recedes even more
with clear yellow tones coming forward.
I
choose a color palette at the beginning of a painting, and then I
stick to using those colors.
I
used the same red in the sky color as I did in the lake color. This
helps add harmony. If I were to suddenly stick in a new color in ONE
place in the painting, it would stand out and not look like it
belonged.
There
are a few times I've used this knowledge to make something especially
stand out, but generally, it's best to mix the same color pigment
everywhere you can, even if only slightly and faintly!
Using
Value Effectively
You
can paint a value study using only ONE color. It's actually quite a
good exercise. You can add a second color, and then a third. I've
painted entire paintings with just three pigment colors. Sometimes I
use ten pigments. It depends on what I'm going for.
Too
many competing flavors tend to ruin a dish of food. While Indian
cuisine masterfully combines things which taste sweet, salty, sour,
bitter and pungent at every meal
to great affect, sometimes eliminating and finding Simplicity in a
painting is helpful, too!
Trying
to paint the darkest dark and the lightest light in the area of the
Center of Interest is helpful to remember. It draws the eye to this
place in the piece.
Usually
what is far away is lighter in value. What is closer is darker in
value. This happens in nature due to atmospheric conditions. There
are probably some exceptions to this “rule” but it's good to
remember.
Maintaining Focus Until the End
Many
years ago, my mother learned during her natural childbirth classes
that the brain can only focus on ONE strong stimuli at a time.
She
would repeat this to me and my siblings, and I have seen this is true
in painting.
While
working recently on an acrylic piece, I was SO intent on gaining just
the right color mix that I couldn't seem to do or think of anything
else!
Perhaps
it was because I was tired, a bit cold, and had been at work for
several hours.
I'd
been painting outside at an easel for hours on a cold Spring day and
began to feel my nose dripping. I knew it needed to be wiped, but was
too intent on my colors to wipe it! It was a strange sensation of
need but also not wanting to be distracted from my color mixing!
Sometimes
I paint while listening to people teaching or talking – sermons and
podcasts. Recently, I've painted while listening to beautiful music.
Just the right music helps. When I'm tired, very quick pieces don't
help. But when I get to the end of a painting, and it's going well, I
begin to dance and rejoice with my brush!
With
every painting, with every year of life, there is usually a time when all seems lost. It's
darkest before the dawn. Don't give up, learn the lesson the piece
was meant to teach you, and move on! Keep painting. Keep in healthy relationship with others. Try again.
“Looking
unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that
was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set
down at the right hand of the throne of God.” ~ Hebrews 12:2
Even
when it's not the painting that goes south - it may be the varnish,
there is always something new to learn and take on to another day of
relationships with people and paint.
Our Father makes good endings of His Designs. He makes no mistakes in the details. So we can trust Him, the Master Potter.
Your
painting-friend,
Elise
 |
| Luminous Sails II by Elise, 14x24 watercolor, 2019 |
