“Screen - Day” (Reversible)
(Mixed media)
148cm high x 128cm wide
ABOUT THIS PAINTING:
The screen consists of six paintings –
three depicting “Day”and three for “Night”.
The subject is taken from a drawing I did while travelling to Cape York which is the most northerly point in
Australia.
I used this drawing because it‘s shape
fitted the squarish shape of the screen support. One cannot put just any composition into a
triptych, which essentially each side of this screen represents. A triptych has to be balanced not only in
each of the three sections but also overall.
The drawing which I had done on the trip north, served this purpose.
I wanted to paint a screen for some time and
when the frame for one became available, I had canvas stretched over the
sections on both sides. The concept of
“Day” and “Night” then gave me the opportunity to reproduce the same scene on both
sides.
Artistic techniques used in the
painting:
I
painted “Day” first. Note that, although
the overall shape of the screen is nearly square, the square shape is broken by
the two verticals that are formed by the hinged sections. The composition is therefore made up of bands
of colour (ie the tree tops; the mid-ground; and the creek) running
horizontally across the picture to balance these vertical divisions. The upright thrust of the trees also forms a
horizontal band made up of repeating verticals.
There is a slight diagonal movement from left to right across the
mid-section, but because of the strong horizontal band of the water at the base
of the painting, this diagonal does not interfere with the overall composition
but rather keeps the viewers’ eye moving down and around the painting.
These
techniques are what make the composition work and appear balanced. If I was to apply a similar pattern in
abstracted form (so that the viewer could not discern any representational
motif) then the composition would similarly be congruent and visually
pleasing. The same principles apply
regardless of whether the painting is representational or abstract.
Like
many artists, I keep notes on most paintings.
Artist’s Books have come popular of late, but I don’t keep neat books
that can be shown at exhibitions. What I
do is keep a folder of plastic inserts, each of which contains notes and ideas
that I have when I plan or paint the artwork.
The
colours I used for “Day” were carefully planned. Hot against Cold colours and Light against
Dark. Also the horizontal bands of
colour (discussed above) also were considered carefully in the planning stages.
The
pallet for “Day” was a tertiary triadic colour scheme of Yellow/Orange (Intermediate),
Phthalo Blue/Green (Subordinate) and Magenta (Dominant). This forms a triangle on the colour
wheel. Because Magenta is the dominant
colour, then Emerald Green is its complimentary opposite.
The
points of interest (or focal points) were spread across the three sections at
the base of the tree trunks and also the shadows cast by the trees. These highlights move the viewers’ eye across
and around the entire picture.
Texture
was achieved through the application of tissue paper and gel medium which
provided affects for the foliage of the trees and also the mid-foreground.
Next
week I will discuss the reverse side of the screen which is titled “Night”.
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