1) Colour accuracy in still life
The exercise was entirely concerned with colour,light and tone : I simply set up a still life of flowers in the bright sunshine and shade of the garden using a blue vase and white flowers with yellow/orange dried seed heads on an orange table-cloth:
The orange cloth and green of the grass are different tones. The light grass in the background doesn’t stand out against the leaves of the plant, although the shaded grass does so. The orange clashes against the background grass and detracts from the plant itself. The blue vase stands out against the orange but less so against the background green producing a disconnected feel?
I have a lot of problems with assessing tonal variation and am unsure if my tonal variations are correct, although as the sunlight was very bright perhaps the tones within the light were much the same.
I resorted to black and white photography, but unfortunately the image of the still life in situ was not taken on the same day and sun had diminished, the deep background shadows gone and flower heads waned:
from these comparisons of tone it is evident that the table-cloth was very bright as were areas on the leaves. The real life photo was taken from a lower angle than the painting and the deep shadow across the grass was not visible.
2. Still Life with complementary colours
In this case I chose to mix the orange with the blue and dispensed with green. I found it difficult to decide whether this mixture could be used for tonal variation or if white should be added.
Here it is contrasted in tonal black and white against the first image. There is much closer tone between the table-cloth and background but the leaves had to be increased in tone to have any impact on the background.The background is tonally darker in general, as is the table-cloth. This makes the white flowers more prominent. I prefer this as the image “holds together better” and has a greater “presence” perhaps due to the loss of confusion of the more varied colours.
c) Still Life with colour to provoke mood
What is mood in a picture? depends on colours and their combinations, textures, forms, tones , the subject itself and the view point.
Happiness/warmth/playfulness reds, yellows and oranges anger -red passion -red attention seeker -red warning-yellow
Sadness/ cold/sluggishness/tranquil blues and purples open and distant
Neutral/calm green humans see more green than any other colour
Add black and the mood darkens
Add white and it lightens
Small patterns —-jolly /happy
crowded heavy patterns sad /heavy
So it would be expected that a painting in black and white would be sad and cold:
and comparing to original:
Th
It is far from sad–I read that lines increase black mood as opposed to dots–but what I have achieved is an image that looks smart as in a pin striped suit with the white flowers producing light heartedness by virtue of their “dottiness”.
2) Basing the colours around orange:
and comparing to original:
This warm, reminds me of Italy, the dried vegetation in the hot sun, but the mood is perhaps a little more sombre than the black and white, or the original because of the dulling of the white flowers and the harmony of the colours.
3) Basing the colours around blue:
and comparing to the original:
This is sombre, the colours dark . It is very Scottish as opposed to the “Italian” image above, but the flecks of light colour in the table top and flowers give it some light heartedness.
4) Primary colours:
and comparing to the original:
This playful, like a children’s toy, however, I think the snake-like curves of the leaves and the red dots as flowers give it a slightly threatening feel, a grotesqueness.
5) and finally with all colours muted by the addition of white:
and comparing to original:
This is benign,dream like, through a mist and has little provocation to my mood.
All the images together:
I think the white flowers are the important aspect in producing light-hearted mood. The forms of the leaves can lead to an evil feeling and the background dots or lines can formalise or disperse feeling. Colour leads to a sensation of place and temperature, Scotland as opposed to Italy, and to a feeling of childhood or city suited maturity.
playing with creativity 