Mixing Colours

I like to make colours do unexpected things.

In the painting I’m working on right now, the sky that you see through the window is very dark. It’s evening. I used a bunch of different colours to create that super “blue.” Purple, blue, green and pink.. It looks blue, but it’s not. It’s a mix.

I also like to experiment with textures. The sky has circular marks and the wall has stripes going down. The woodgrain dances horizontally. Texture is so important, and I want to hold your eye with the texture in my art just as much as the colour.

Valuing Newness

Part of my practice is continuing to experiment with and create different tints and pigments. It’s like going to a restaurant and you’re eating the same salad but with a different dressing each time. I’m prioritizing play through my colours. 

When I was working with acrylic, if I discovered a new colour that I loved, it would start popping up everywhere. I had an entire season where I painted with this particular violet. I use it as much as I possibly can, but it’s so potent. I can’t use it everywhere, so I love mixing it with reds, yellows, browns and greens and blues. You get a different result all the time.

I have a keen interest in things that are different from me. I don’t like to do the exact same thing over and over again. Even when painting the same bouquet, every angle gives me a unique view. To me, creation is always about something new.

For example, I’m loving pastels, and I’m beginning to understand why artists choose them. They’re a free-thinking experiment type of medium. Anything can happen! Mix, blend, erase, add, remove.

What can I say? I think it’s glorious. I’m a multidisciplinary artist. I like it all! I refuse to do the same thing over and over again.