Tuesday, December 04, 2012

New Work

This is a piece that I painted some time ago, and I would like to finish it as a Christmas gift for a friend. It is painted on 16mm silk crepe with Setacolor. I find that the images around the outside, the ferns, are too dark. Overall, the piece has too little value to be of interest.
 The other problem is that it is a square, measuring 30", which I find bothersome.  I would like to add "columns", or strips of fabric, on the sides to finish it off. That is if I can correct the color.
My art teacher suggested that I try adding some purple in the areas between the ferns, and then overpaint the ferns with a brighter green.
Any suggestions would be greatly welcome.

4 comments:

smokey said...

April---I would use an alizaran crimson or a purple made with alizaran crimson. I actually like the deepness of the greens. But if you outline some of the leaves in the alizaran crimson and purple, the darkness of the purple would make the greens pop and provide more of a contrast. The thread color that you choose would also provide contrast. The piece being 30 inches square does not bother me either. It is a very nice sun resist piece. Smokey

A.Sproule said...

Thanks Smokey, I always appreciate your feedback. You have such a wonderful sense of color.

janice pd said...

Hi April. The dimensions don't bother me either and the light is just enough off center to be of interest. Beautiful painting and I have to agree with Smokey's comments, it isn't that the ferns are too dark, but maybe areas need to be darker. Think about a light source to make tips and edges of the ferns sparkle with your threads. Are you planning anything in the sky, like dragonfly or butterfly, etc? That would draw interest into the light area. This is something I always have to think about when I like a piece but something seems a bit 'off' so I think it is a common issue for artists. Hope this helps!

Judy Ferguson said...

I see this as a background for something. It could very well work with the butterfly, as suggested, or a bird or bug. So much green would suggest a red focal point. It looks like I am laying down in a field of ferns, looking up at the sky.