December 29, 2013

A New Painting: "Blue Circles"


Blue Circles, egg tempera on calfskin parchment, 5 x 7 1/2 in. 


This painting is a bit different from my recent work; it has more elements in its composition. I have been moving towards simpler imagery over the past couple of years, but I couldn't resist those rows of circles  and the red form topped by the bright nut, which itself is finished with a smidgen of red. When I began working on the painting, I tried leaving out the nut, thinking it would make the image more abstract, but it didn't work; it needed that light spot as a focus and to balance the blue circles. Try covering it and see if you agree. For me, it adds zing to a sturdy lineup.


Blue Circles detail

5 comments:

  1. Yes, the nut is a pivot point. The palette, as always, brilliant.

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    1. Thanks for seconding my feeling about that nut, Ravenna. The color was fun to work with.

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  2. Altoon, This painting draws me inside, like a room to worship the color blue and orange. The point of view is low. I look up and see the nut, a holy geometry, left as an offering on the altar. I've entered a sacred space. (My story just tumbled out...egged on by your evocative imagery.)

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  3. This is so different than many of your prior paintings and yet the link to them is there with geometry and machinery. I keep coming back to look at this. Kind of like Cecelia says, it draws me inside, but I still can't pinpoint the reason. I just know that it keeps staying in my mind when I leave your page.

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  4. Thanks so much, Cecelia and Ms. Wis. I think there may be something about those repeated circles that is engaging.

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