Design Element

Just like I saw it on TV, here is an imaginary plan for a house in the woods. Actually, what I saw (on Netflix) was a show about amazing houses, architectural projects in remote locations. I don't think this house could ever really be made, not to mention banana's wouldn't rain from the sky, but you never know. As I scanned these for the web, I realized that the windows of the building here, are the same as the window of the last painting I just posted (Colourful Ideas). That means my imaginary home in the wilderness has a laboratory on the top floor. Shorter commute at least!

To depict bright colours in a painting it is tempting to dive into the palette and get some pure yellow or red or green, maybe just take it straight from the tube. The results will be better if the composition includes two things, complementary colours, and a near-neutral background. Contrasts are easily understood- if you put red and green next to each other they amplify the visual. Here, I put purple in the background to bring out the yellows, and used a green outline to contrast the reds. The concept of near-neutral is a bit different, that is where you put a neutral version of near the colour that you are trying to amplify. In this painting, the grassy lawn in front of the building contains a mix of the bright yellow, the brick red, and the green, then a bit of water to make it pale. Now, when someone looks at the painting the yellow banana-peel shapes really pop because of the neutral that surrounds it.

5 x 7" cold press. Watercolour 2019