Safety Lines

I used to play with 'tinker toys' which were round wooden pieces with holes in the side, you could connect them with sticks to create elaborate structures that were fun to jump on or throw down the stairs. This painting was inspired by the tinkertoys, except the sections are connected by cables. When I did this painting I had a pretty good idea as to what it meant, but alas I have forgotten. Looking at the painting it seems that people on their own little islands are none the less connected to one another by these safety lines. There are also various shapes on the platforms, one of which has fallen in the soupy-green water.

There are a lot of ways to create depth in your work, I have touched on a few points before. One trick is to put warm colours near the bottom, here the island in the bottom right is the brightest red, also the orange shape in the middle is very bright. Another trick is to fade you colours in the background, make the colours look a little paler to suggest atmosphere. The background segment (at the top of the painting) is done in pale pastels, creating the sense that they are off in the distance. To make paler colours, just add a bit more water to the same colour mixture you used for the bright part. In this way you have the exact same hue (colour) with a lower value (lighter).

11x14", hot press, 2001