Setting the world alight!
I'm delighted to reveal my latest series of original monotypes. These five large firey skies began as an exploration in colour. I wanted to find a way to achieve a sunset sky that wasn't delicate pinks but brooding, powerful reds. I was reaching for a more dramatic look that had a nod to John Martin.
Each one was an exercise in creating colour contrasts. People often ask me how I get the colours to glow. In part, it's the richly pigmented inks I use (Stay Open range from Hawthorn). But mainly, they appear to radiate light because of colour juxtapositions. One colour activates those adjacent so that they optically appear to pulsate with light. It's a bit like those colour illusions you sometimes see in books.
The video above shows the creation of "Light Lines". It was printed over several weeks as each layer needs to dry so I've put it all together so you can see how it's built up. Edited by my 13 year old son to just show the good bits!
It's not as simple as blue/orange opposites on the colour wheel, although that is a primary consideration. It's groups of colours that are working in concert - the colour chord of golden yellow, vermillion and cadmium red, contrasting with indigo and tints of Payne's Grey. The strength and coverage of each colour is important with some careful wiping away of the blue/grey to leave many "windows" where the underlying red/orange peeps through.
Each sky has 3 - 4 layers of colour with another two layers in the land area. I knew I needed to keep the land very dark to give the impression of back-lighting. With "Catch Fire" at the top, the sky was so rich that I opted for a plain velvety blue land area so that it wouldn't take any attention off the sky. With the others, I used a dabber to create a blend of colours with just a hint of reflected red light. I over-printed with my trademark textures and mark-making in indigo to give a dark but richly textured surface.
The trees give life and intepretation to these pieces. They also function in the composition to link the sky and land togther so that they are no longer separate entities. Their positions usually follow the proportions of The Golden Section. It feels balanced and harmonious if they are off-centre, With Sky Flame, above, the lone tree leans in and lends an air of determination and survival, shaped, as it is, by the elements.
These originals are available to purchase now, unmounted, mounted or framed in oak with art glass. Just get in touch by email if you're interested and I can send you a clickable invoice. International customers, please choose unmounted which can be rolled in a wide strong tube for safe and speedy delivery. For UK customers, large framed originals are sent by art courier.
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I love your new pictures. They are very dramatic.
They are beautiful.