I’m about to start my second year and I find myself asking the question which I will probably be asked; why colour? What is it that draws me to artists like Monet, van Gogh and Kandinsky? I admire their use of colours but never really understood the importance of colour to achieve great paintings. As I went on to find out - by working my way through a book called ‘Colour Theory Made Easy’ by an American artist/lecturer; Jim Ames - it is probably the one of the most important things to know for a colourist painter; the colour wheel and how it all works.
I was disappointed with my grades from last year but know in my heart why I had got them. I was trapping myself in my comfort zone, trying to find a way out but unsure of how.
It was suggested to me that I should research an artist/art-form that I wasn’t a big fan of. For me this was Jackson Pollock and Abstract art. I didn’t understand his paintings or Abstract art in general so I had dismissed it until now. I bought a book about Pollock and was pleasantly surprised, I liked what I saw, and to a certain extent even understood. I do like the idea of using a large canvas that I can work from all four sides and experimenting with drip painting.
It was suggested to me that I should research an artist/art-form that I wasn’t a big fan of. For me this was Jackson Pollock and Abstract art. I didn’t understand his paintings or Abstract art in general so I had dismissed it until now. I bought a book about Pollock and was pleasantly surprised, I liked what I saw, and to a certain extent even understood. I do like the idea of using a large canvas that I can work from all four sides and experimenting with drip painting.
Kandinsky was mentioned in Pollock’s book and I remembered doing some research on him in college, so I bought his book. Whilst reading this I remembered what it was that I liked about him. It was his concept that music/sound and colour go hand in hand. Like him I listen to classical music while I paint but unlike him my colours weren’t flowing freely. I had ideas in my head of how certain pieces of music would look in colour but when put down on paper they never looked right. This is when I decided to go back to basics. With the aid of the colour theary book I taught myself the ins and outs of the colour spectrum, and there is a lot to learn.
Alongside this I have been looking into how the deaf and blind perceive colour and sound. I know that the deaf can see but colour is associated with certain vibrations; deaf raves. Or in the case of Scottish percussionist/composer Evelyn Glennie, her heightened senses allow her to feel the music she is playing.
The blind was a little trickier to research but I did come across a few famous blind artists; Lisa Fittipaldi, Gary Sargeant and Asref Armagan. It’s amazing work and through their extra sensitive smell they know the different colours of the oil paints.
I have finally worked out what I want to achieve. I want to paint my own pictures exploring the three main subjects of colour; light, symbol and emotion, as well as try and be more abstract. This in turn will help me to explore myself and hopefully paint better pictures.
