Blue Series Paintings and Light

Why Blue?

Within my Field theme of Light I have looked at different inspirations coming from different materials, and one of the main projects has been the blue series paintings. I have been looking into colour theory within project because when I think of light I think of all the colours that go into what we know as light. One colour that really stands out to me is the colour blue, it is found all around us, in the sky, oceans, as a natural pigment, dye, and many more.

I first started the blue paintings as a follow on from early artist research, but when I started to look into the pigment there was so much to learn about of the primary colours. I used oil paint as my main medium in all of the paintings as not only is it one of the oldest artist mediums it also has an amazing tonal range when mixed with other hues.

As I started to paint I saw that each painting was showing something different, from the dark paintings with small blue accents, the the pure tonal ranges built using flat brush strokes. Each painting has something different relating to the theme of light.

How is it Light?

When I think of light I think about air, the breeze, and the movement of clouds. I also think about waves and water, how when you are in the sea you are weightless and light as a feather, at the mercy of the tide and current. I live on an island and no matter where you are, you are no more than nine miles from the sea, and this was a big inspiration for my work. From my point of view, Light isn’t just something we see but we feel, and when I look at the paintings I pick upon the different feeling of light.

Light can be used in so many different ways, the usual ways of making lamps, light fixtures, to creating light with materials and craftsmanship. When you look at the blue colour wheel you can see that it is not use one base colour with lighter or darker shades but different hues completely, different hues that can make you feel different things, and that is why I created this blue series. Its not just about the process, its also about what the viewer feels.

Blue Series- Cloudy Sky- Prussian Blue, Titanium White

Top Left Painting

For the final part of this painting series I have decided to paint something more structured and directly citing from the sky. In other painting in this series I have been looking at how brush strokes build up texture in a painting, how light and dark can blend together to create a tonal range within the piece, and how light can be used as the main inspiration for a painting.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXiqw0kB3R9/?taken-by=amy.m.evans

To start this painting I first mapped out the areas for the clouds, the areas I will fill with blue and the movement of the clouds using a blue oil pastel. Again I am using the Winsor & Newton Oil Colour Pad, which is a canvas textured paper in size A4. I really like using this paper as it is strong, hold the texture of the paint well, and it doesn’t hold any oil marks from using oil paint.

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At first my plan was to paint all the darker areas first, colour block the background with pure Prussian blue hue, and the later add the white of the clouds to give the illusion of depth. But as I started to paint the piece I though about how there is natural tonal changes when you look at the clouds on dark nights, so I started to add the white while the blue was still wet to add more tonal ranges into the blue.

Finished Painting

When I had finished my painting I though there was something missing in how it relates to the theme of light, so I decided to add in small pinpricks of white paint to highlight small stars. I think adding in the stars adds in a subtle link to light as the clouds are also pure white in areas which also highlights to theme of light but the stars are a perfect physical point of light in this painting.

Blue Series- Painting in Progress

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Blue Series- Part Two; Lamp Black, Prussian Blue, Titanium White

(Bottom Right Landscape Painting)

Photograph taken under natural light

Photograph taken under natural light with camera flash on

Photograph taken with the painting on the wall with sunlight coming through the window

Photograph taken with camera flash on with painting on the wall

 

Blue Series- Painting in Progress

My paintings all together showing the different textures and colours and the progress of my next painting.

My paint pallet showing the different colours and textures used for my paintings.

Blue Series: Part Two- Prussian, Phthalo, Cobalt Blue, Lamp Black, Titanium White

Brushes I have used to create my blue series paintings.

For the second part of my series I have been looking into adding more dark and contrast into my paintings, in the first part of the series I was only looking at using white and blue, which to me was the perfect example of light at play. But when I think about like I also think about contrast, and the contrast that is created when you using harsh colours like black and light colours like cobalt blue.

To start my painting I first sketched out my early ideas, and to start with I wanted to paint a cresting wave with a beam of light flowing down the page, but when I started to paint the piece I went in a different direction I looked into creating something dreamlike and dark. I first added in the black on the outer, top corners and then adding in more and more blue, which created a nice blue/black gradient. I decided to add more white into the piece because there was more dark than I intended and these works are for my light project it made sense to add in the white to balance out the dark, and also bring in more textured elements.

I really liked working with black as it added more texture and contrast into a series all about one colour, I think for my last piece I might look into using more black but bring up the contrast even more. In this piece my inspiration was the sea, as in other paintings, but I want to look into more clouds as the texture and contrast is greater.

Early planning of my painting, a cresting wave with a beam of light flowing down the image

Already I have started to go against my original plan and have used lamp black and Prussian blue to start the top half of the painting.

As I have started to paint down I have started to add in titanium white and mixed it with the cobalt blue to create a shifting gradient.

As I started to finish the painting I have added in more blue hues to add in the link to the series while also looking into the light and contrast.

This picture doesn’t show the full detail of the painting, the light was to strong (on the right side) when I took the picture.

 

Blue Series: Part Two- Prussian, Cobalt Blue, Titanium White

Final painted piece, under natural lighting, taken using my phone camera.

For the second part of my blue series I have been looking into mixing together different shades of blue oil paint together to create different shades of light and dark. I decided to use Prussian blue and cobalt because they have a very similar shade range when mixed with white, but they are so different from each-other there is enough contrast to work with the second part of my project.

Again I have been looking to the sea and sky for inspiration, but when I start painting I have a basic plan but I always end up going against the original idea and working with the movement of the brush and the flow of the paint. In this piece I have a very clear direction of movement from the top corner to the bottom.

I think this piece fits into the Light project perfectly as I have taken light into a direction of contrast and hue. Light in artwork is used in many different ways and n these abstract paintings it is my main focal point, and although these images are based around the sea and the sky light is all around in those two things. The lightness or the air and the clouds is translated into brush strokes, and the colours and movement of waves blend into oil as both are free moving with the aid of other forces.

Close up detail in natural lighting, photograph taken with my phone camera.

Close up detail with camera flash on and natural lighting.

When this image was taken using natural lighting and placed portrait this piece almost looks like a snapshot of the earths atmosphere, the way the light is playing with the white of the painting and the contrast of the almost black blue creates a dreamlike painting. I used backwards and forwards brushstrokes creating one clear line of movement which almost gives a curve to the piece.

Blue Series- Prussian, Phthalo, Cobalt Blue

(Left to Right)- Prussian blue, Cobalt blue, Pthalo blue

Prussian Blue

Phthalo Blue

Cobalt Blue

Blue Series- Cobalt Blue, Titanium White

Another addition to my blue series, this piece was painted in around 25-30 minutes, and in that time i only used the one brush, and mixed the colours on the page. To paint this piece I first painted an under layer of the blue hue, and then using the same brush, without cleaning it, I added in areas of white. Using backwards and forwards brush strokes I created this piece with movement, texture, and tone which is so different yet so similar to the other pieces in my series.

Within all three pieces I only used the main blue hue and a mixable white oil paint, and I think paintings have a great tonal range but now I think I want to look into mixing the different blue paints together to create another blue series following the same methods as used within this mini-project.

 

 

Blue Series: Phthalo Blue, Titanium White

To continue to blue series of paintings I have looked into creating a misty, almost dreamlike painting built with only two colours. As before in my Prussian blue painting I have used the same Winsor & Newton Oil Colour Pad, which is a canvas textured paper. Again I also haven’t used any turpentine or solvents to dilute the colours or for blending.

In my first painting I took inspiration from the sea with hints of the sky, but it was more of an abstract movement piece, so in this painting I was taking full inspiration for the sky.

When I took this photo I was just in my garden, but when I looked at the cloud shapes and formations I was really inspired to turn that into a texture using paint. To Paint my piece I first blocked on colour using a wide, square brush and used crisscrossing strokes to build up a base layer of paint and colour. I then used a small, round head brush to texture the painting with small, circle strokes which blended the colours together to create an even gradient. On this piece I worked from dark to light because I really wanted the white paint to pop against the blue.

I think the final painting really captures what inspired me, there is a fluid movement within the piece and a perfect balance between abstract and real. I really liked the textures that I created in this piece and I look forward to painting in a similar style.