Understanding Colour: Primary and Secondary Colour Mixing

Key: PYD = Primary Yellow Dark, PY = Primary Yellow, LY = Lemon Yellow
NY = Naples Yellow, YO = Yellow Ochre, SR = Spectrum Red, PR = Primary Red
CR = Crimson, VE = Vermillion, BR = Bright Red, CE - Cerulean, PB = Primary Blue
UL = Ultramarine.

The first step in this exercise was to identify the differences in tone, hue and chroma between the yellows, reds and blues taken directly from the tube. I decided to use gouache for this exercise as I had a wider range of colours to choose from. However, I had two different qualities of gouache. The Windsor and Newton Designers Gouache was of better quality than a pack of Daler Rowney 'Simply Gouache' - these paints had a larger amount of 'filler' compared to pigment and were consequently less intense and more difficult to handle - I won't buy them again. 

All of the yellows were relatively light in tonal value. The primary yellow appeared to be the lightest but its value was quite similar to the lemon below and naples yellow. The Primary Yellow Dark and the Yellow Ochre were darker in value than the remaining yellows but nowhere near as dark as any of the reds or blues. 

Lemon yellow had a touch of green to its hue and this became more noticeable when it was placed adjacent to the Primary Yellow Dark and Yellow Ochre which have an orange and a brown component to them respectively. Naples yellow appeared to be very slightly more orangey than primary yellow but was significantly less intense. 

Lemon Yellow and Naples Yellow were the least intense of the yellows - this may also have been a result of these being the poorer quality paints. Primary Yellow was the most intense so I chose this as my primary yellow.

The reds were more mid-range in total value. Vermillion appeared to be lighter in tone than the rest of the reds but the rest were fairly similar in tone.

Vermillion tended towards the orange end of the spectrum. Crimson was the red containing the most blue. Primary Red and Bright Red also contained a hint of blue. 

Primary Red and Spectrum Red were the most intense reds but I chose Spectrum Red for my primary red as it was less blue.

There was a range of tonal values amongst the blues. Cerulean was the lightest and ultramarine the darkest blue. 

Both Cerulean and Primary Blue showed some greenness whereas ultramarine tended more towards purple. Ultramarine was the most intense blue but had too much red in it to represent a true primary blue so I mixed my idea of a primary blue from a combination of Ultramarine and Primary Blue. 

At the bottom of this sheet I mixed a scale from yellow through to red. However it wasn't  until after I'd done this that I realised I had used PYD instead of PY. I had subconsciously picked up the most orange yellow when mixing this scale.

Key: PY = Primary Yellow, SR = Spectrum Red, PB = Primary Blue,
UL = Ultramarine, VIO = Violet, CR = Crimson, PR = Primary Red
MA = Magenta, WH = White

Next I used my chosen primary colours to mix secondary colours. Yellow to Red, Yellow to Blue and Red to Blue. I made too many gradations at the yellow end of the yellow to blue gradation so didn't leave much space for darker and bluer greens at the other end. The red and blue mixture did not produce violet but more of a burgundy/maroon colour. A better violet was produced by mixing ultramarine with either crimson, primary red or magenta. 

The next task was to repeat these three graduations but to mix white into the darker toned colours to try to maintain a constant tonal value. I found this very difficult to judge - the different colours confused me as regards tonal values - looking at the ranges afterwards It looked to me as though the tones got darker from left to right and then I over compensated with too much white in the blue at the right side. I took a photograph of this sheet in black and white to asses this.

It was clear from this that there was a slight graduation from light to dark on the yellow to red graduation (not enough white added to compensate for the darkening caused by the addition of red). In both of the others I had over compensated by adding too much white to the blue at the right side.

Understanding Colour: Mixing Greys - Anachromatic Scale

This exercise required the mixing of black into white paint to create a progressively darkening scale with the final step being black directly from the tube.

On my first couple of attempts at this, some of the tonal values in the mid range were very similar to each other. I gradually came to realise that it was not sufficient to mix the same amount of black into the mixture each time to make a stepwise tonal gradation. As the tone got darker, a progressively larger volume of black paint needed to be added to make and appreciable difference to the value.

My final attempt has nine steps although step 7 and 8 are quite similar compared to the the rest of the steps so in retrospect it probably should have stayed as an 8 step scale.  I then took scraps of paper painted with a mid-range neutral great and placed them at each end of the scale.  The result is that the grey placed adjacent to the white end of the scale appears relatively darker in tone and the grey placed adjacent to black appears relatively lighter. 

The neutral grey was then used as a base colour for the subsequent colour mixing exercises.

Research Point : Chevreul's Colour Theories

Find out more about the colour theories of Chevreul and make notes on how particular artists have used Chevreul's theories to expand the possibilities of painting.

Introduction

I really enjoyed this research point although it was a very involved and extensive piece of work.
I have been interested in colour ever since I was a small child when I would obsessively arrange my felt tipped pens and coloured pencils into colour graduations. When I did 'O' level art at school, my mum lent me a book about colour which I pored over and in the process acquired a very rudimentary understanding of complementary colours. This resulted in multiple paintings of green and red peppers. At 'A' level back in the 1980s we painted colour wheels and did exercises about colour harmony but Chevreul's name was never mentioned. It never occurred to me to question where the information about contrasting colours and the colour wheel had come from. I just took it for granted that the rules I was given about complementary colours and their mutual enhancement when juxtaposed as well as the effect of mixing red and green in the shadows for my peppers were common sense and common knowledge . It wasn't until I visited an exhibition at the National Gallery in London last summer entitled 'Making Colour' that I first heard of Chevreul. The exhibition was mainly concerned with the production of pigments however one of Chevreul's colour wheels was exhibited in the first room of the exhibition. In the gallery bookshop after the exhibition I coveted a copy of John Gage's 'Colour and Meaning: Art, Science and Symbolism' Thames and Hudson 1999 (reprinted 2013) but couldn't justify the expense of buying it. This research point gave me the perfect excuse and I have enjoyed reading this text which approaches colour in the context of art history looking at the very complex world of colour research and theories including physics, physiology, psychology, neurology and philosophy. I will confine my discussion here to Chevreul and much of the information here will have come from this text but also from a more succinct summary of Chevreul's work which I found on the Internet 'Chevreul's Colour Theory and its Consequences for Artists' by Georges Roque Click here to link to the paper published by the Colour Group (Great Britain). I will write a subsequent essay highlighting some of the other areas of colour research which I found interesting.

Chevreul's Life and Work

Michel-Eugene Chevreul (1786-1889) was a chemist and a very successful one. His interest in colour arose because he was employed by Gobelin's manufacture in France. In 1824 he was made their director of dyeing (1),(2). His task was to oversee the dyeing of wool and silk for the manufacture of furniture, carpets and tapestries. His interest in the interaction of colours was stimulated by his observation of unforeseen effects of one colour of thread on the apparent colour of another - I will go into this in more detail later

In 1828 he published 'memoir on the influence that 2 colours can have on each other when seen simultaneously'(2) which introduced his theories of simultaneous and successive contrast. In 1839 he published a much more in depth book about this subject ' On the law of simultaneous contrast of colours and its applications to......' (many applications were listed including painting). 
Chevreul continued to publish on this subject throughout is very long career (He worked until the age of 97). Other publications include 'Chromatic Circles' 1855, 'Outline of a way to name and define colours' (1861) and 'On colours and their applications to the Industrial Arts' (1864)(1)

Law of Simultaneous Contrast

'In the case where the eye sees at the same time two contiguous colours, they will appear as dissimilar as possible, both in their optical composition and in the strength of their colour' (1)

The development of this theory was stimulated by a perceived problem with the dyeing of black thread which was to be used in blue and violet fabrics. Weavers complained that the thread was not dyed adequately because it appeared dull. When Chevreul analysed samples of the wool he found that there was no problem with the dyeing. He therefore developed his theory that the wool appeared dull because of the the effect of the colours it was placed with. Hence the problem was not actually to do with chemistry which was his speciality but was about how the colours were being perceived, a potentially even more complex area involving physiology, neurology and psychology. (1)

He proposed that the brain has a tendency to exaggerate the differences between adjacent colours and also between adjacent areas of different tonal values. Hence a dark grey placed next to a light grey will appear darker especially along the border - where the light grey will appear lighter. A green placed next to a red will look greener and the red will look redder. He defined this as follows:

'If we look simultaneously upon two stripes of different tones of the same colour, or upon two stripes of the same tone of different colours placed side by side, if the stripes are not too wide, the eye perceives certain modifications which in the first instance influence the intensity of the colour, and in the second, the optical composition of the two juxtaposed colours respectively. Now as these modifications make the stripes appear different from what they really are, I give to them the name of simultaneous contrast of colours; and I call contrast  of tone the modification in intensity of colour and contrast of colour that which affects the optical composition of each juxtaposed colour' (1)

Chevreul knew about complementary colours and the source of this knowledge was the work of Buffon. In particular his observation of 'accidental colours' which he published in 1743.  Buffon had noted that when looking at a spot of a particular colour on a white background, a halo of the complementary colour would be be perceived around the spot. In addition, after staring at a spot of colour for example a spot of red on a white sheet and then staring at a blank white sheet then an image of a blue-green spot (the complementary of red) would be seen. (1)

Chevreul proposed that ' Two juxtaposed hues will be perceived as the most different as possible when the brain adds to the perceived hue a little of the complementary of the juxtaposed hue and vice versa' (1)

This seems to be analogous to the 'halo effect' observed by Buffon.

To make this clearer it could be illustrated by imagining a white pattern on a red background. Depending on the size of the white motif compared to the area that is coloured red, the white pattern may appear to be tinted green. This can be counteracted by adding a hint of red to the white. This is something which would have proved very useful to those in the business of producing textiles and wallpapers. 

Chevreul also concluded that when two complementary colours are juxtaposed that mutual enhancement occurs. 

Chevreul's law does depend on the size of the samples juxtaposed. Large samples of colour placed adjacent to each other obey the law of simultaneous contrast at their edges whereas small marks and threads become assimilated. This was a criticism aimed at Chevreul but Chevreul was aware of this and had not overlooked this phenomenon :

'There is a contrast of colour whenever differently coloured surfaces are properly arranged and susceptible to being seen simultaneously and perfectly distinct from each other" Whereas " There is a mixture of colours whenever materials of various colours are so divided and then combined that the eye cannot distinguish these materials from each other in which case the eye receives a single impression. ' (1)

The phenomenon described above Chevreul applied for example to the mixing of thread in tapestry. The application of Chevreul's law to different sized samples of colour was to cause subsequent confusion in the development of the theories in particular of the neo- impressionists and pointillists - this will be covered in greater detail in a later research point about optical effects. 
Chevreul considered this mixing of colours by the eye to be a sort of subtractive mixture. We would today call this assimilation or optical mixture.
Chevreul's work was subsequently criticised because when he explained his observed phenomena there was confusion between additive and subtractive colour mixing (mixture of light versus mixture of pigments). This confusion about the physics of colour was widespread  in Chevreul's time. (1)

Chevreul's Influence on Artists

Chevreul's theories were exerting an influence on artists even before his book was published because he gave a series of public lectures between 1830 and 1850.
Initially the most enthusiastic recipients of his work were people working in the applied or decorative arts rather than fine art painters. They found practical applications for his theories in the distribution of colour in many fields of endeavour. 

Painters who did consult Chevreul initially included Louis Hersent a neo-classical painter and a professor ay L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He was also consulted by Louis Daguerre during the period in which he was painting dioramas. 
Chevreul became good friends with the painter Horace Vernet. Vernet's specific area of interest was in the painting of battle scenes. However, none of the above named painters allowed Chevreul's theories to exert a major influence on their work. In fact Vernet was criticised for exhibiting poor colour harmony in his work. (2)

Chevreul's theories were primarily of interest to artists who wanted to apply science to achieving greater colour intensity in their works and were looking for simplified rules to follow. However, there is some confusion and in Chevreul's time there was widespread misunderstanding as to what Chevreul's intention was. It was taken as fact that Chevreul would have recommended painting the simultaneous contrast of colours. In fact he was more an advocate of "contrasts of analogous colours" that is colours that have similar lightness. He also advocated 'economy of means' and painting in flat tints with reference to oriental painting. This was an area of interest to neo-classicist and romantic painters in 19th century France. This can be seen in the following examples of paintings by Delacroix and Ingres.(2), (1)

Eugene Delacroix: Algerian Women in their Apartment
Oil on canvas 1834 (picture source: wikipedia.org)

Eugene Delacroix: Entry of Crusaders into Constantinople
Oil on canvas 1840 (picture source: wikipedia)

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres: Odalisque with
a Slave
Oil on canvas 1842 (picture source wikipedia.org)

Unfortunately, time has taken its toll on these paintings and the colours have changed making the effect of the juxtaposition and arrangement of colours less easy to read. In the Delacrox painting of the Algerian women there are almost (but not quite) Chevreulian complementaries with the arrangement of orange and blue. In his painting of troops entering Constantinople he particularly took care to juxtapose complementary colours on the flags - blue and orange, yellow and violet and red and green were juxtaposed - the effect can't be as clearly seen today because of the degeneration of the paint.

In the painting by Ingres shown above, red and pale green are placed alongside each other to heighten the impact of the red. This suggests that Ingres may have been aware of Chevreul's work. However, I can't find any reference to Ingres and Chevreul ever meeting apart from Chevreul's comment to the painter Signac (when he visited him towards the end of his life) that he should consult Ingres who would tell him all he needed to know about his theories (unfortunately Ingres was already dead).

Delacroix, however, was known to have bought lecture notes from someone who attended one of Chevreul's lectures and he also had made an appointment to visit the chemist (but had to cancel owing to illness so never actually met him). So he was clearly interested in these theories. (1)

Impressionism

The impressionists would not have been too keen to admit to the influence of Chevreul on their work as their apparent aim was to paint exactly what they saw and depict the effects of light. However, Chevreul's work suggests that this is not actually possible because of the changes in perception of colours and tones when they are juxtaposed.
There is, however, some potential evidence of the influence of Chevreul on the painting of several impressionist painters. Look for example at Monet's poppy field of 1873. Click Here to view on the Musee D'Orsay Website . We can see a skillful use of red and green here. Monet himself said, " Primary colours look brightest when they are brought into contrast with their complementaries".

Pisarro was the first of the impressionists to put his paintings in white frames and also to tint his stretchers with the complementary colour of the dominant hue of the painting. This is clear evidence for the conscious application of Chevreul's theories. (1)

Neo Impressionists

These artists moved away from the impressionist ideal of looking directly at the effect of light in nature and became more concerned about the organisation of the pigments on the canvas. I will include more detail about the work in particular of Seurat and Signac in the research point later in this section about optical effects.
Signac visited Chevreul, and Seurat also said that the chemist was an influence in the development of his technique. Looking at the two paintings below there is evidence of attempts to apply Chevreul's theories in the development of the technique of pointillism.(1)

Paul Signac: The Breakfast. 1886-87 Oil on Canvas
(Source: wikipedia.org)

Georges Seurat: A Sunday afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
1884-86 Oil on Canvas. (Source: wikipedia.org)

Both artists have placed dots of complementary colours adjacent to each to each other, aiming to make their paintings visually more exciting and luminous. This is more obvious in the reproduction of the Signac painting above and does seem to create a liveliness or vibration on the canvas. It is more difficult to see the technique on the small scale reproduction of the Seurat painting. In fact it almost seems as though the colours are somewhat greyed in the Seurat reproduction. I will go into greater detail about how successful or otherwise the techniques of the neo-impressionists were in the subsequent research point about optical effects. (1), (3)

Post Impressionists:

The Fauves

Perhaps unsurprisingly the next group of artists wanted to move away from the pointillist or divisionist style. They though that contrary to the stated aim of increasing vibrancy that the dotted application of the colour caused a reduction in the vibrancy of each adjacent colour (more on this later under 'optical effects'. The fauves, reacted against this and started painting in large areas of flat pure colour of contrasting hues.(4) Examples are shown below:

The Green Stripe - Portrait of Mme Matisse
Henri Matisse. 1905. Oil on Canvas 
(Source: wikipedia.org)

Estaque: Andre Derain. 1905. Oil on Canvas
(Source: wikipedia.org)

In both off the examples above it can be seen that there is little attempt to build form with light and shade. Instead, flat areas of bold colours are juxtaposed. Red and pink re contrasted with green in the Matisse portrait. In the Derain Landscape there are many examples of complementary colour contrasting with each other - in particularly red with green and orange with blue. Chevreul himself was an advocate of painting with flat as I have mentioned above. (2)

Van Gogh was also interested in the use of complementary colours, not only from the point of view of the visual impact and harmony of the colours but also in terms of their potential symbolism. He explained his aims in his letters to his brother Theo. He made studies of flowers:
"Seeking oppositions of blue with orange, red and green, yellow and violet. Seeking broken and neutral tones to harmonise brutal extremes. Trying to render intense colours and not a grey harmony" (1)

Vase with Pink Roses: Vincent Van Gogh. 1890.
Oil on Canvas (Source: wikipedia.org)

Link to Van Gogh's - The Sower 1888 (wikimedia.org)

In the painting 'Vase with Pink Roses' there is a subtlety to the contrast of the touches of pink in the roses with the green of the leaves and the paler greens of the table and the background.  In 'The Sower' there is a similar contrast of marks of orange and blue as is seen in Paul Signac's 'The Breakfast'. There is an aspect of pointillism to his technique but the marks made in laying down the colour are larger and bolder- (more clumsy but not in a bad way). 

Van Gogh also wrote that in his 'The Bedroom' of 1888 (below) he thought that the combination of colours he used should provide a restful sensation for the viewer. He had carefully planned the positioning of the colours on the canvas. (1)

Vincent's Bedroom in Arles. Vincent Van Gogh. 1888
Oil on Canvas (Source: vangoghgallery.com)

Abstract Artists

Robert Delaunay started to experiment with pure abstraction in 1912. He and his wife Sonia co-founded the movement which came to be known as Orphism. Before this, however, he and Jean Metzinger made a development from pointillism using larger mosaic-tile reminiscent marks of flat colour. They called this 'divisionism' 

Click here for an example of divisionism 'La Dance (Bacchante) by Jean Metzinger - 1906 (from wikipedia.org)

Click here for an example of a divisionist Landscape by Robert Delaunay on wikigallery.org

From 1912 - 1914 came the development of  'Orphism'. Delaunay started to paint abstract work and was mainly concerned with the dynamic possibilities of bright colours - so the colours themselves would be the form of the painting. He found in the work of Chevreul, a set of rules he could apply to organising his colours and he freely admitted to the influence of,"The Brilliant Chevreul". (1)
Delaunay's state aim was to generate "colour movement'. He terrorised that complementary colours were harmonious and vibrated slowly when placed together whereas colours close to each other on the colour wheel would vibrate quickly. He thought that the arrangement of there vibrations on the canvas would give dynamism or colour movement. (1)

Disque Simultané. Robert Delaunay.
1912. Oil on Canvas. The inclusion of the word
Sumultané in the title signals Delaunay's interest in
Chevreul's theories (Source: wikipedia.org)

The disc paintings also show Chevreul's influence in that they are an investigation using areas of flat tints (4)

Link to Simultaneous Contrasts: Sun and Moon 1913 (moma.org)  This painting also illustrates a similar dynamism through juxtaposition of colours.

Delaunay's theory of colour movement didn't come directly from Chevreul, but he did get influence from Chevreul's study of stained glass windows. The chemist said that they were a great example of simultaneous contrast because they offered well defined distinct sections with vivid colours which contrasted against each other and against the opaque leading between the panes. 
Delaunay was inspired by both the transparency and the contrast and symmetry to paint a series of paintings based on windows. In these paintings there are angular areas or colour with both hard and soft edges - here the influence of cubism and Cezanne's painting technique can also be seen. 

Link to Simultaneous Windows on the City. 1912 (wikipedia.org)

Several other artists were investigating these phenomena at the same time, Notably Fratišek Kupka and Sonia Delaunay. I will go inter greater detail about the work of Sonia Delaunay after I attend the Study visit to her retrospective exhibition an Tate Modern in April.

Link to Frantisek Kupka - Positioning of Mobile Graphic Elements. 1913 (wikiart.org)

Link to Sonia Delaunay - Electric Prisms. 1913 (wikiart.org)

The work of Chevreul has continued to influence artists either directly or indirectly until today. This as also partly due to the fact that his theories were heavily influential on two of the great teachers from the Bauhaus - Johannes Itten and Josef Albers. Both of these teachers wrote books on the subject of colour Josef Albers - Interaction of Colour and Johannes Itten - The Art of Colour. Both of these texts borrow heavily from Chevreul's work.(1) I will include more detail about this in the subsequent research point about optical effects.



References:
(1) 'Chevreul's Colour Theory and its Consequences for Artists' by Georges Roque. Based on a paper presented in Paris in June 2010 to the Colour Group (GB) meeting colour and textiles: From Past to Future. Published by The Colour Group (Great Britain) http://www.colour.org.uk 2011

(2) 'Chevreul between Classicism and Romanticism' (Chapter 15: pages 196-208) in 'Colour and Meaning- Art, Science and Symbolism' by John Gage. Thames and Hudson 1999 (Reprint 2013)

(3) 'The Technique of Seurat - A Reappraisal' (Chapter 16: Pages 209-218) in 'Colour and Meaning- Art, Science and Symbolism' by John Gage. Thames and Hudson 1999 (Reprint 2013)

(4) 'A Psychological Background for Early Modern Colour' (Chapter 20: Pages 249-260) in 'Colour and Meaning- Art, Science and Symbolism' by John Gage. Thames and Hudson 1999 (Reprint 2013)

Tutor Feedback: Assignment 1

  My responses to the feedback are in blue italics inserted in the document

Tutor report

Student name	Aylish Giamei	Student number	511033
Course/Module	Painting 1: Practice of Painting.	Assignment number	1

Overall Comments

This is a very exciting submission, which shows a grasp of understanding the fundamentals. It is obvious from this first part of painting 1 that you have understood the rules and now you are ready to push them to create innovative, energetic work that depicts your personal style and concepts. You clearly enjoying playing and investigating paint media and it’s very positive that you go beyond the instructions and delve into what you want to do as well as following the exercises several times. There is potential in the physical approach to your work so be careful not to be too representation all the time.

This is great feedback. It gives me encouragement that I have made a positive step in part one and can build on my approach from here.

Feedback on assignment

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

Handling your brushes: you are very right in saying that this exercise is “a first unsteady step in the right direction”. You have delved into these exercises and played with your tools it seems. Even at this early stage that you are quite expressive with layering and being abstract rather than the more formal works of still-life.

Applying paint without brushes: this series of works seems to give your work energy and a vibrancy so don’t forget this. It’s exciting that you have let yourself go almost immediately. You have clearly enjoyed it, both the process of looking for alternative tools and also the outcomes. There is a sense of balanced colour and movement coming through.

I must continue to keep this exercise in mind when working on other exercises.

Painting with pastels: I can see from your drawing course that you are quite competent in using pastels. However when you have combined them with paint and mix media the energy increases as does the vibrancy. A subject matter of using fruit can be quite mundane and overused but you have used the beauty of the pomegranates colour as a feature in your work. Thus what you are doing is communicating your personal interpretation through the way you use colour and textures. Just be careful to refine the work e.g. if you are going to layer up, layer up the surfaces well (cut fruit on left hand side).

The point about the layering is fair. This was a very rapidly executed sketch and I didn't spend time refining it.

Transparent and opaque: the smaller more illustrative studies are your strongest as they hold more character of a winter tree. When they are enlarged they become quite solid objects and lose that fluidity. However, as you say your energetic style comes through when you are filling in the negative shapes. Overall, this exercise has allowed you to focus on adding detailed rather than working only working expressively.

Yes I did feel that the trees became more solid and 'clunky' when I moved into the painting from the sketching. This might have something to so with my inexperience in handling the materials. I'm hoping that my work will become more fluent, fluid and therefore appear more natural as I continue to wrk and therefore gain confidence.

Working on different coloured grounds: there is an array of studies for this exercises and well done to you for investigating the requirements of this exercise in many different ways and going beyond the instructions. The smaller thumbnails are a great collection of how to work out composition and get your tonal qualities right. It is good practice to do preliminary sketches so you are confident in what you are observing and also working with your media.

The study on a white ground is the strongest as there are raw brush marks, which add an uneasy atmosphere to the cold colours you have used, almost like broken glass so there is more of a narrative. The shadows are a little unbalanced and mismatched to the objects compared to the ones on the medium ground. The comparison of all three is an interesting approach and this shows that you have confident skills in creating tone and understanding the blending of colours.

The study on the white ground was the first one I did. I often find that my first attempt at something is more interesting that subsequent iterations. There was more nervous energy in that study so what it lacks in accuracy (unbalanced shadows) it may have made up for in interest and narrative.

Assignment: you have realised your time management skills and although you were disappointed with the end result, it is start of a personal style. I agree with you, although the first exercises were very exciting and even if you spent too much time on them, you can realise that an expressive, experimental and gestural style is more your approach to painting. The assignment piece is technically good with the viewer following the perspective into the trees but yes the colour scheme is quite garish and overloaded. However, the concept behind the work is very interesting and at this level to focus on a narrative and bring this into our work is a very exciting place to be as oppose to only painting what you observe, so all is not lost.

Yes I suppose I lost sight of these positive aspects of what I did in the build up to this piece because the end result fell short of what I had envisaged - but that I guess there will always be something of a gap between imagination and reality in the production of art. I am happy as this feedback is more positive than I had expected. However I have also learned a lot from the disappointment - especially regarding time management.

Sketchbooks

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

Your sketchbook is exciting and full of visual information. Not only have you tried the exercises several times but also you have helped yourself move on by looking at artists in-between. There are explorations of colour, textures, mix media and small studies that lead onto more exciting pieces. A very good way of working by delving into it. Keep this up!

Thank you! 

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Context

You commentary is in-depth with a focus on the processes, your personal critical review of the work and links to artist research. You have not only descried the success of your work but the failures too so you can push yourself next time. The stories behind your works are interesting so continue to do this. Your artist research is also relevant but try and go to more exhibitions to see the work in the flesh as I think once you see how paint can be applied, it’ll inspire you even more.

I did go to several exhibitions during part 1 of the course. I had written up my notes in my sketchbook but had not put them in my blog (again time management problems). I must not have made clear enough that these were exhibition write-ups so as soon as my sketchbook arrives back I will put them in a better format and put them in my blog.

Suggested reading/viewing

Context

Anselm Kiefer- large textural pieces combining natural materials and paint. His concepts behind the work are very interesting. He has an exhibition on in London at the Royal academy, London.

This was one of the exhibitions that I visited and I found it truly inspirational and very moving. I will write my responses more clearly in my blog.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner- german Expressist style with holds a raness and a play on colour and brush strokes.

Peter Doig- relating to your assignment piece, atmospheric and gnarly.

Leon Kossoff- thck layering of paint to create a sense of chaos and energy.

I am aware of all of the artists you have mentioned and will enjoy taking a more in-depth look at their work. 

Pointers for the next assignment (Action points)

More exciting compositions- although your work is exciting in application of paint, some of your compositions are bland for what you are capable of. Instead of a bowl of fruit why not have decaying fruit. Be alternative and unusual in your subject choices.

Yes - composition is a definite weak point for me which is whey I end up making so many small sketches - I have to work it out with a drawing implement because I can't see it in my mind's eye. I like the encouragement to look for the unusual - I will do that.

Work larger to compliment your expressive gestural style so you can really push yourself and bring the physicality of you approaches into the work. Have a look at Jackson Pollock’s ‘Action Paintings.’

I like to work large - I think I started small because I wasn't very confident with the media. I will get bigger! I saw some of Jackson Pollock's work on a trip to Venice last year at the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. I loved it - I really like work in which you can see the physical involvement of the painter and the exploitation of the characteristics of the medium.

Audience and narrative- you have started to do this already in your assignment piece but think about adding a narrative to your work. What are you trying to communicate to an audience, what do you want people to see in your work?

 I'll try to strike a balance here between thought out narrative and spontaneity - to communicate ideas and narrative without over-thinking and losing the energy of painting.

 Assessment potential

You may want to get credit for your hard work and achievements with the OCA by formally submitting your work for assessment at the end of the module. More and more people are taking the idea of lifelong learning seriously by submitting their work for assessment but it is entirely up to you. We are just as keen to support you whether you study for pleasure or to gain qualifications. Please consider whether you want to put your work forward for assessment and let me know your decision when you submit Assignment 2. I can then give you feedback on how well your work meets the assessment requirements."

Tutor name:	Diana Ali
Date	07/01/2015
Next assignment due	16/03/15

The main points I need to work on:

(1) Time management

(2) Maintaining the fluidity of initial sketches when moving into paint

(3) Colour mixing

(4) Writing up gallery visits on my blog

(5) Look at Kirchner, Doig and Kossoff

(6)Exciting compositions and subject matter

(7)Work bigger

(8) Narrative and communication