Saturday, April 28, 2012

Non-Colors: Using and seeing through color

The term “non-color” is what I used to explain to my 5th grade teacher what I saw when observing light through a prism. It was understood that I was colorblind and that my results would be different. These non-colors were impossible to describe, but I knew at least that what I saw differed from the teacher and the other student’s observations. This series is based on experiences of uncertainty in recognizing colors. Again I used a standard principle set of 12 colored pencils. I began by creating circle compositions of colored dots consisting of all 12 colors, in varying sizes. The compositions were inspired by Ishihara color tests, circles containing a hidden number or letter usually used to determine red-green color blindness. I wanted to create a complex color scheme of all colors to experience single colors next to other single colors as well as new colors when they would touch and overlap one another. These brightly presented dot compositions were very intense. I then added a layer of a single color on top of all the other colors in hopes of understanding the information in a somewhat monochromatic color scheme. I chose not to fully cover all of the colored dots in order to preserve and showcase the underlayer of color information that i was confused by and could not determine. Perhaps the actual experience of using color over color was more impressive then the final result. As I layered the final color over each composition, I could watch it take over and consume the original composition. These colors would then change, creating new shades or hues of colors. I knew that the act of layering one color over another would alter it, but many combinations often appeared unchanged to me.

Non-Color: Black
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: Sienna Brown
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: Blue Violet
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: Grass Green
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: Dark Brown
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: True Blue
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: Orange
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: Crimson Red
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: Canary Yellow
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: Violet
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: White
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012

Non-Color: Apple Green
colored pencil on paper 5"x5"
2012




Monday, April 2, 2012

Color Lines: An experimentation in using color and my visual perception

At first glance these studies appear to be a color theory assignment, or an attempt to create color swatches or paint chips like those found at hardware stores. I am colorblind. These studies have been an experiment in using color, and recognizing my own limitations and perceptions when using them. I generally make works in black and white or with a monochromatic scheme since my eyes can understand gradients and shades quite well. Color is a different issue. In the past when trying to use color my saturation levels were always off, or I would use a “wrong” color when thinking it was the “right” choice. I have always shied away from using color for fear of being “incorrect,” and the frustration of never knowing what the outcome truly looks like. This was an experiment—with no right or wrong—in using color and observing the way they change when added together. Some remained the same while others resulted in different shades of the original color used.

I used a standard principle set of 12 colored pencils. I used a single line format to systematically keep track of the colors used and combined. The base of each line consists of the same 12 basic colors; then a solid coat of one of those colors is applied across the entire line. I used colored pencils rather than paint because I felt that I had more control when over the application of each color, and that it maintained some of the integrity of each individual shade when layered instead of the pigments mixing together.

Violet
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
True Blue
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
Grass Green
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
Apple Green
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
Orange
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
Violet Blue
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
Black
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
Dark Brown
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
White
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
Sienna Brown
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
Crimson Red
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012
Canary Yellow
colored pencil on paper 8"x17"
2012