Discoveries with Color
In my last few pieces, I used color differently than I usually do. I repeated a certain color (i.e. bright orange) many times throughout the landscape to unify the scene. I wasn't sure this approach would work, but I think it brought life to prints like "The James Bay Road II" and "Iceberg Cove."
In "The James Bay Road II," I applied many colors, but kept the sun and its light the same vivid, bright orange. This put emphasis on the scene's sunset and "organized" the piece's color spectrum.
In earlier prints, I didn't have a strategy with color. "Inukshuk" and "Nightfall," for example, have a rainbow-like appearance, because I didn't limit the palette. Any color was a "good" color, as long as it worked well with the hue next to it. This was a fun approach, but I think it made some of the scenes "too colorful" and overwhelming.
I didn't want colors in the latest print, "Iceberg Cove," to be overwhelming. I used the same deep blue for the scene's darkest shadow, which gave the print's color palette a common theme and helped define the scene's light source. This strategic approach was discovery for me as an artist.
What are some of your discoveries with color use?