Color Writing 13 / Color Writing 13 Pattern

The colors were a beautiful group of neutrals, some dark and some light, with warm undertones of orange, red, and magenta. Sounds simple enough, right? But neutrals are not typically the predominant element in my work. Neutrals feel earthy or organic and can lead me astray of my goal to create non-representational compositions. It felt like a challenge, in a good way. So, I happily and enthusiastically accepted!

I was also lucky that, besides the color palette, I was given a wide berth of creative control. Early on, we went through several mock ups to ensure I was heading in the right direction. Once that seemed settled, then it was up to me to follow my process for this next iteration of Color Writing paintings.

My process for creating a Color Writing painting includes applying many layers of thinned water-mixable oil paint over several months. I was hoping to achieve the color palette strictly through this glazing process. 

About half-way in, I could see that this method was not going to be exact enough to achieve the results I wanted, so I stopped and mixed large batches of each of the desired colors as precisely as possible.

Once I did this, the paintings really started to come together. As with the Color Writing 12 pair, I alternated between the two, some days spent entirely painting stripes on the “pattern” piece with the colors that had been incorporated so far. With each (as with what I assume many painters do), I worked until I found myself fine tuning things in very small ways and the visual balance and compositions began to feel complete - a very satisfying moment indeed!

I welcome the opportunity that commissions afford. Whether it be a specific color palette or a compositional aim or some other personal inspiration, I am happy to collaborate with interior designers or individual collectors looking for a way to customize a piece for themselves and/or their space. Please feel free to contact me for more information or to talk about your project.