Hope
14x11 Oil on Canvas
My
taste in art has varied over the years. As I am now intrigued by oil paintings
with high levels of contrast, it seems as if much of my artwork reflects this preference,
including my latest work.
Here
are several concepts I use for creating high contrast paintings:
Selective
Color Choices— With this painting, most of the colors are similar on the tonal
scale and vibrancy. Brilliant yellows, reds, and oranges make it easy to
identify subjects from a distance. I was once told by an art instructor that particularly
in landscape paintings, adding yellow in the foreground fosters a sense of
close proximity.
Tonal
Variations – Use the whitest whites and the darkest darks. While this may seem
obvious, sometimes the “whitest white” is the lightest shade of any color verses pure white. The
“darkest dark” may be purple, brown, or blue, instead of black, depending upon the image. Modify
light, medium, and dark areas, and examine their tonal relationships to each
other.
Avoid
Creating Mud— Allow layers to dry in between applications when using oils. Avoid
creating mud… the dreaded result of mixing too many colors, therefore forming a
less than desirable grayish-brown tone. You may want to stay with a limited
color palette until you know which formulas play well together.
Planned
Underpainting— Experiment with underpainting your canvases black, gray, or red,
instead of basic white. Think in terms of the end result, before beginning the
process. The base coat should serve as a foundation from which the other colors
mingle. The base coat I chose for this painting was magenta.
Using Professional Grade Paints and Transparent Oils – Avoid the temptation of using
white to lighten every color. Higher quality pigments and transparent oils can
often increase the depth and vibrancy of your paintings. Venture beyond the
basic color set and incorporate wider color variations of pre-mixed tubes.
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