I visited a small village called Hondon de los Nieves a while ago, and did some sketching and took some photos of the colourful Spanish houses there. Yesterday I thought I'd play around with some of these photos and see what I could paint from them.I chose one and then zoomed in and cropped it on the computer to produce a composition I liked. These windows were full of character and I loved the palm tree running up through the picture and the fronds just poking in from above. The lamp made another interesting feature. All in all there was plenty to have a go at.
I used watercolours to paint the first version using the greens and cool colours that were in the photo, and really enjoyed doing it. But then I thought I'd have a go at using a different warmer colour set, so I painted another version using
oranges, reds and golds. (One reason for this is that my wife wants me to do a large oil painting for the living room and this needs to be in oranges to fit the decor - I can't believe I'm painting to fit the decor!!).Another reason for the colour change was to break away from painting things 'as they are' and to experiment more with creating art, and a third reason is that paintings in warm colours outsell paintings in cool colours by a major factor.
So I've three questions for you. Which do you like most? Do they have a different emotional pull? And have you ever tried painting the same scene in different colours? Why not give it a go - it's a fascinating experiment.
Hi Andy, I like the orange one best (at the moment) but that is because it seems happier and gives off a feeling of warmth and youth while the greens give off a cooler more sophisticated and slightly sadder vibe. Well to me anyway. Oh and I have tried this when I did your coursework but I fluctuated between preferring one to the other depending on what mood I was in! Amazing how the colours can make you feel :-)
ReplyDeletehi andy
ReplyDeletei like both . orange one gives feeling of warmth, cheerfulness,makes me feel energetic. blue one is serene. i want to just liedown and enjoy the beautyand relax.
Hi Andy,
ReplyDeleteI just found your Blog and I am going through some of the posts. I will bookmark it via Bloglines so I don't miss any new posts and articles you'll be writing :)
As for colour choice, definitely the orange tones in this painting. I travel to Italy every once in a while to visit family and most of the buildings are painted in warm tones to go with the light in the Mediteranean. Here where I live on the west coast of Canada, everything is muted blues, blue-grey, and dark greens. Bright colours here would reflect the light differently and look odd or at least out of place because our light is different and not as bright or strong. I always think of warm, cheerful colours in warmer climates. But that's just my opinion.