Simultaneous Contrast

"Impression, Sunrise"

Claude Monet

I've written on this topic in the past, but some things deserve elaboration.  This is one of them:  the Law of Simultaneous Contrast. The phenomenon of simultaneous contrast was first articulated by an industrial chemist, Eugene Chevreul, in the 19th century. Chevreul discovered that a color appears brighter and more intense when it is placed next to its complement.   Here's proof:

In this photo, the middle square is the same color on both sides. But when surrounded by an analogous color (the orange on the left), it looks duller and less saturated. When surrounded by its complement (the blue on the right), it looks far more intense, and brighter too.  The next image is another example. The green bar positively vibrates against its complementary red.

For painters, this is a crucial concept.  We must constantly keep in mind that it is color RELATIONSHIPS, not necessarily colors themselves, that make or break a painting.  That's because no color exists in isolation.  Each color is affected by those around it.  Look no further than Monet's painting above, where the orange sun is surrounded by blue.  Without doubt, that sun would not shine so bright if it were higher in the sky with the other orange-y, yellow colors.

Moral of the story:  if you want your yellow to be more intense, put a bit of purple next to it.  If you want your red to be bright (often tricky, because reds are actually dark colors), find an opportunity to put some green next to it. As Eugene Delacorix said, "I can paint you the skin of Venus with mud, provided you let me surround it as I will".   

Untitled

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

 

I close with an image of one of my recent paintings.  I used a violet/blue on the left, to make the brightest yellows of the pears stand out.  And I used a pale blue on the right to make the orangey dark side of the right pear more intense.  It takes some planning to arrange the still life props to this advantage, but it's well worth it!

Provence Beckons

This post is an alert to faithful readers that my newest collection of paintings has just been uploaded to my website.  It's titled "Provence Beckons", and it features scenes from Provence that have inspired me over the years.

"Luberon Clouds"

6 x 6, Oil on Linen, Mounted on Board

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

(SOLD)

This year, for the second year in a row, the painting workshop In Provence with Maggie Siner was cancelled due to COVID.  I've only missed three summers there since 2011! To ease my longing for the fields and villages that I have come to love, I visited them through paint.  I worked from drawings, photos, and plein air studies.  Even memory and imagination played a part.  All of those ingredients went into the new collection. 

I discovered that painting Provence is the next best thing to being there!  If you too have wanderlust, I hope that you will enjoy looking at the new collection.  You can see all of the paintings by clicking here.

"Welcome Home"

9 x 7.5, Oil on Paper, Mounted on Art Board

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

And in case you wonder how one of the paintings might fit in your home, I'm illustrating this post with shots of a couple of the paintings in situ at my house.  The opportunities are endless for paintings this size.  And they make great gifts for art lovers or Francophiles. Enjoy!

Making my Own

 

For all you painters and art collectors, I want to share this information on how I make many of my own painting surfaces.  I love to paint on Belgian linen, and I often paint in non-standard sizes.  As a result, it is an important factor in my work to have custom supports.  Here's how I do it:

Photo #2

I often paint the painting on "loose" linen, just clipped to a board.  If the painting doesn't work out, I can wipe it down and start over.  If the painting DOES work out, I then mount it on a wood or MDF support.  (Incidentally, these woods are getting harder and harder to find in the post-COVID world).  The top photo shows a finished painting on loose linen, and the panel my husband custom cut for it.  (Not shown:  I treat the board with a coat of primer such as GAC 100 before mounting).  

Photo #3

Next I loosely place the painting on the panel, and move it around until it is centered.  That is the trickiest part of the entire process. Once I'm happy with the placement, I mark the back of the linen to show that placement (Photo #2).  Next I get out my trusty acid-free, archival adhesive.  Usually I use YES paste (Photo #3).

Photo #4

I spread the YES Paste thinly on the panel and also on the back of the linen, using a flexible palette knife (photo #4).  It's a lot like icing a cake.  When that is done, I press the painting down onto the panel and smooth it out with my hands.  Then I press it again using a rubber brayer, working from the center out to the edges, to make sure that any air bubbles are gone and that the linen is securely and evenly attached to the panel (Photo #5).

Photo #5

Finally, if I have been smart enough to leave a good margin of linen (like I did for this example), I wrap the linen around the panel (Photo #6).  Wrapping it around gives a wonderful finished edge to the painting, and allows the painting be to displayed unframed and still look very "finished".  It also allows the painting to be "floated" in a frame, without exposing any raw edges.  

Photo #6

One last step not pictured here: I put the painting face down under a pile of heavy books overnight, to allow the paste to dry and the seal to bond.  And the next morning, Voilà!  An uber-custom painting, ready for its close up!  It's a pretty involved process, but the result is well worth it to me.  Enjoy!