A Renaissance Palette

                                         

   A recent discussion with artist Gillian McCulloch, about the colour available to the 15^th century artist led to a re-examination of my abundant modern palette and the hues that naturally attract me. Naples Yellow, once a Florentine staple, languishes in my paint box, surfacing from time to time to mix with other earth pigments; a hard worker but, never a star. It occurred to me then, that it would be interesting to feature that colour and lay it down, undisguised, to observe how it might affect my usual bright palette.

  The resulting work “Tivoli” owes its character and visual movement to Naples Yellow-Red which flows like a stream through the painting. Naturally luminous, it imparts a jewel like quality to cerulean blue in particular and ignites the tiny red triangle into a powerful lantern. Tied to earthy sienna, it works in tandem, gracefully balancing intense hues into a musical score, and on its own, it trembles and shimmers to life.

   I am intrigued by the influence of this featured, new hue on the finished work.  Tivoli pulses delicately with a rhythmic strength. Quietly sensual, never retiring, its fluid shapes float gracefully through space with a gracious tension to playfully taunt the rhythmic linearity with a joyous earthy intensity.

  My second painting, “Verite”, bows to a new, earthy palette as well. It is all about movement created by positive and negative spaces and follows the footprint of the “Four Seasons” series created for the December Group Show at Wallack Gallery.

Verite

Tivoli

Blue Dog Sleeping

Oil on Canvas

A painting of my little dog Pascal, commissioned by Gallery Page and Strange for the Christmas Exhibition. Guests at the opening were asked to name the painter.

From Moscow to Peter, Neva

Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30"

The descending path of the sun, Yorkshire

Oil on Canvas, 36 x 36"

Exhibition "Blue", Gallery Page and Strange, October 1-22, 2010