Breathing Color

I lose sleep over color. It's something I've never given much thought but since last semester I eat, breath, and drink color. Sometimes drinking is the only thing that numbs my obsession. It's all my fault. I enrolled in a painting class and now I'm all choked up. I can't drive down the turnpike without noticing the relationship between the cool, unscathed gray of the shoulder contrast with the worn, warmer gray of the traveled lanes. And then! That electric yellow that demarcates! Ok, I'll stop, but as you can seen it's overwhelming. Do you see what I see? Who knows. How do you explain color? What terms can I use?It's so relative and even deeper when you consider perspective.

So, all that being (unnecessarily?) said, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out color in my work. Many a critiques with my painting professor and I have yet to scratch the surface. He did reassure me, "I still have not mastered color." I guess it's a lifelong endeavor,a marriage. I wouldn't say any of my pieces were 'successful' but I can see growth.This was one of the first pieces. At the beginning of the semester he gave me some criteria to get me started. I had to do 16 different paintings. Of all the paintings this was my favorite. It became the cornerstone for the rest of the semester. I started playing around with using scraps and collaging them together. Like picking up roadkill and 'fixin' it'' These were a couple of pieces from my last critique. This is where I ended my first semester. What a change? I can't say it's for the better but again-growth/change. My last critique was a bit frightening. I vividly remember him stating, "I was worried in the beginning but I feel better about where you've ended up." EEEEeek! It was quite stressful but very fun. So fun that I've contemplated switching over to painting. But, in the end, I thrive on process and printmaking is it! I will continue to take hours in painting, it's so fluid and natural, gives me a break from the intense processes involved with printing.

Believe it or not, I did pass (with flying colors) and I plan to continue with the challenge. If you're close swing by the studio, I'd love to talk color.