We have come to understand that in the pursuit of good design we often place the symphony of pure color in second place. I am reminded of Tubular Bells by Oldfield and how fascinating the relatively simple patterns he creates stir us so deeply. Essence of color in painting comes when we begin to place color as the foremost element. Color after all has its own essence, its own purity. It is even possible to abandon design entirely in creating beautiful art. This is done by being sensitive to the purity of color itself, such as the relationship between tan/gold tones against those of blue and red combined or purple. Those two properly and carefully juxtaposed creates a very unusual and effective dynamic.
What we can call essence of color, where color itself is center stage depends greatly on contrast of hue and intensity. A blue against gold as mentioned above is striking but when the contrast is deepened the energy increases proportionally. There are no rules in this kind of arrangement but a heightened awareness is necessary. Some colors seem completely muddied without employing proper contrast. Though Rembrandt exercised extreme restraint for maximum results, the impressionists broke free from classic modeling to create scintillating dynamic compositions based essentially on pure color. Blending of colors gave way to placing pure colors side by side to create a more vital, energetic effect…a dark hookers green placed adjacent to viridian (without blending) was discovered to be far more emblematic of nature itself.
Pluck one string on a guitar and then pluck an adjacent string in the same range creates a simple but resonating quality. It seems the Tubular composition was after something like this – the subtlety of tones being predominate over particular style. Painting with pure color arrangement, that is the dynamic of color effect and sublimating all design elements to the vitality of color is an exercise vital to the development of an artist’s maturity. Tubular Bells by Oldfield depends on overlays. This can also be accomplished with color arranging. It is a fascinating process when executed skillfully. In my own work I often start with hard-pressed drag painting. This is done with dragging pigment across a hard primed panel. This method creates wonderful though accidental effects. These elements provide an excellent and dynamic base for a painting primarily concerned with the essence of color. I then apply multiple overlays and critical accents. Whereas Kandinsky would often title his paintings ‘Composition 20’ or such I find that composition does not suit this particular style of painting – this creative effort. Though I made four or five preliminary sketches prior to beginning, I ultimately chose none of them but began to paint directly unto the panel. The first layer was selective drag passages. After that came multiple overlays and thus the reference (right or wrong) of Tubular Bells. Then later, particular accents, deepening contrasts and adding some elements of design. Therefore it seemed that the work was more of a symphony of color combinations rather than a composition per sey. A symphony in my mind is a process of adding multiple instruments to create a complete structure, a complete piece of music. Painting in this way seems to be very close to this creative process in music. Spontaneous may not be accurate because though a painting like this stems from no particular composition, the work follows a process nevertheless, but it is a process that builds as it develops. Each layer invites or evokes the next and myself the artist makes critical decisions which to choose. Spontaneous tends to imply a impulse over thought but a painting like this definitely requires careful attention. There must be a very conscious awareness of what the particular passages are ‘saying’ – what they elicit, what they require to follow. I have titled this piece then, ‘Summer Symphony 20’ . This painting represents very clearly what occurs when essence of color takes precedence over compositional design. Summer Symphony 20 represents an important milestone for me personally because of this practically complete observance of painting where color itself is the predominate element.
By the way I wish to thank my brother Jim and my sister in law Pam for their recent visit to my studio. They spent considerable time looking over my work, even the several stacks against the walls. It was fun sharing my work with them. Both of them have a remarkable ‘keen eye’.
