Sunday, August 3, 2008

Form and Color

The relationship between color and form is something that evades me. At dusk, I look at the local colors and see how they can kind of run into each other. Each thing is made up of its own material with its own molecular structure. The way the light interacts with this structure and reflects is how our perception is of it. Our perception also compensates for the change in light so we don't become confused when light changes.

As a painter, the representation of something should be at the discretion of the artist, and utilized to the most effective means to say what must be said.

I can't imagine a writer getting bogged down in the description to the point where it no longer says what his intentions are. He describes enough to touch off the imagination provided by the knowledge of the reader. The painter must also use this play on visual language to get exactly what he wants. This takes a lot of practice and the study of color and the properties of paint. Handling paint is not talked about by artists too much, but this is what there primarily doing all the time. There are so many ways to apply paint. I love having full control over how thick, thin, transparent or opaque the application. Knowing whether to fling and splash the paint on without touching the canvas, or scooching a grainy wash in with my finger.