Our Challenge for April, Complementary Colors

For April, we were challenged to produce art using opposite colors on the color wheel (plus white if needed). Click on any image to enlarge it.

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Carmen's response to the challenge:

I chose red-purple and yellow-green. A mix of those colors plus white produced the neutral color in the background.

Butterfly Tree

 Carmen Beecher

www.carmensart.etsy.com

www.carmenbeecher.com

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Kathy's response to the challenge.

I gave this three tries.
My first was a 10x10 watercolor in purple and yellow using a game I like to play for inspiration. 

My second effort, a tiny 6x6 inch watercolor in blue and orange.

Still in progress a large 20x23 inch acrylic in a blue chosen to complement Pantone's new coral.

A Snail Fantasy (20x23 acrylic on watercolor paper)

Kathy Garvey

etsy.com/shop/snailflower

spoonflower.com/profiles/kgarvey

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Donna's response to the challenge:

This challenge to me seemed made for Cezanne, Gauguin or Matisse.  For some reason I think of pure straight color when I think of them.  To really experiment I decided to do a copy of a famous painting I had done before, Madame Matisse.  I just loved the simple use of color. 

Below on the left is Madame Matisse in Blue and Orange with a little white. (On the right is my prior rendition.) I made her eyes and mouth a little bigger this time to show off the color differences.  I was really surprised when what seemed to be a simple use of color was much more complex. Scary isn't she!!

Donna Vines

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Mary's Response to the challenge:

Red and green are traditional complementary colors - opposite each other on the color wheel. I experimented with some others, such as blue-violet and and yellow-orange (opposite tertiary colors), but I liked the radishes best.

Radishes (in progress) by Mary Warnick

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At last, I am posting for the April challenge. I was recently introduced to Alex Katz, an self defined post abstract artist who is all the rage in Paris right now. Lectures, exhibits, interviews. I saw his work in the Orangerie and at the Louis Vuitton Fondation. His Homage to Monet 2009 inspired my response to this month's challenge. 

 Alex Katz, Homage to Monet, 2009

After Alex Katz, Silver Birch in Spring, 2019

Fay Picardi

Taking the Challenge by Cindy Michaud

When our Pieces of 8 painting group gets together just about anything can happen!  We like to make up challenges that keep our brains sharp and our creative muses on their toes...so when Carmen wanted us to dig deep into our supply drawers and bring out the tubes of color that we had long ago abandoned, we were ready to take up the challenge.

If you paint, you probably recognize this.  Something you bought because it was a) on sale, or b) recommended in a workshop.  And it has never seen the light of day since!  So we came with our bags and palettes of such.

Carol brought us all a "subject" and we settled in to make silk purses from sow's ears.  It was rather disconcerting at first not having our "go to" standards handy to use.  But slowly we adjusted and started thinking "dark" and "light" or "warm" and "cool" as opposed to yellow, blue and crimson.

Denette was able to find a variation on the colors needed for her apple and pepper and got right into  painting  the details.

I, on the other hand, had a long stretch to paint this green apple with the colors I had.  Add to the challenge that we had under two hours to produce and we have a baaaad habit of talking through the first 30 minutes at least!

Mary does watercolor and although she swore these were not her default bag of trick hues I think she did a pretty darn good job of painting a green apple.



Carol (below) had a board with some wonderful, pre-done texture on it and was able to use that for added interest.  Her red apple is definitely red but these were some strange shades that had luscious names but uncommon tints.

Kathy (below) 

was a renegade and decided not to paint a piece of fruit.  She went after a photo of an owl she had taken at the national zoo.  He was so cute I think he would have been fun to paint in any color.

I share these not because I think they are wonderful pieces of art (I hear the group choking right now) but because you can make an artistic challenge out of almost anything.  As long as your brain has to process the painting basics and your eye can help you execute, there is a way to overcome almost any obstacle and still make it pleasing.  Obviously it would take a bit more practice  to perfect but taking leave of a comfort zone is a boost to learning...and a sure-fire way to challenge your skills.

Now, where is my cad yellow and cobalt blue.....waah, waah, waah.

Colorfully Challenged,
Cindy