Color Sensibility
More about color it’s meaning and influence visually, auditorily and sensually.
Did you know that green is the most restful color to the human eye also represents fertility, rebirth and freedom. Most street signs are painted in metallic green with white letters for easy readability, hence the green and white sign above Pier 23 Cafe.
Did you know our perception of color could be associated with a perception of another sense? This is called Synthesis, for example a color could represent a sound; red = loud, yellow = shrill or blue = distant. Warm colors are associated with loudness and cool quietness.
Do you find that you are attracted to certain colors when painting or purchasing art? This could reflect your personality and also affect you psychologically.
Have you noticed that grey is very popular lately in homes? Could this reflect the meaning of the color, a stamp of exclusivity and creativity? Grey is a color that enhances all colors that surround it. Neutrals make bright colors sing. Artists who are colorists would do well to know about neutrals.
For every positive side to a color there is also a negative. Black can mean elegance at the same time represent fear and death. Colors can also create different meanings to certain cultures. Although purple is found to symbolize royalty, it can also be the color of mourning for people from Thailand.
A preference for certain colors could reflect your inner desires. Curious what is your favorite color? Tell me your favorite color and I will tell you the qualities you have or perhaps a clue to what you desire?
How can color influence your art, now that you know it is so symbolic and not just visual?
This is my thirty-seventh painting of my #paint52 challenge, medium Atelier Interactive Acrylic on vellum, measures 10" x 10", price $240.00 SOLD
*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
Follow Your Bliss
Can you remember the first life changing experience that lead to "Follow your bliss" or your dream? Was it dramatic? Was it inspired? Was it meant to be? Did you know what you always wanted? Were you born with the dream, “I knew I would always be a singer, a dancer, a scientist, an artist”?.
Did your dreams take a detour? Did others influence you? Did extenuating circumstances, force you to do something else?
Did you believe if you followed your dream that you would lose the people you love? Did you think others would think you were crazy? Did you go against the norm?
Did you feel you were worth it or capable? Did you believe in yourself? Did you have someone believe in you?
All these are hard questions, I have experienced many of these situations on the journey to follow my dream, “Follow my bliss”, to become an artist. "Follow your bliss, is the heroes’ journey", says Joseph Campbell. You will find a lot of dragons to slay along the way. The challenge is not to be detoured and to not give up, to find a way to “Follow your Bliss”.
This is my thirty-fourth painting of my #paint52 challenge, Atelier Interactive Acrylic on vellum, measures approximately 7″ X 11″, price $230.00. The painting portrays the Streetcar found on the Embarcadero, adjacent to the Piers an addition to my San Francisco Series. SOLD
*All art from Janet Vanderhoof’s Fine Art Gallery, maybe seen in Janet’s studio at Morgan Hill, CA. You may purchase through contacting my email jvander51@msn.com or phone (408) 460-7237. Thank you!
Twitter Followers #paint52
I was enticed to paint this painting reflecting the common people, people in our everyday life, such a variety, all unique and distinct. But there was also something "sheepish" about how they were marching all in a row, making sure they kept their appropriate space from the person in front or behind. Some seemed conscious, while others were definitely not present. They almost seemed to be marching, and marching, where? Where are they going? Are we caught following others, sometimes forgetting our own journey or perhaps following others dreams not our own? Or just caught in our daily life routines, one day the same as the next, just out of habit. Can we wake up and enjoy our surroundings?
This is painting thirteen of my #paint52 Challenge and another painting for my San Francisco series. "Twitter Followers" measures 24" X 48", oil on linen.
Thanks again for all your support following my challenge and especially when you leave a comment. I so appreciate it.
California Here I Come #paint52
When I was nine, I had to move to France after my father died. Not only did I lose my father, but I had to leave my home, my friends and my country. My mother was French and wanted to go back home to her family, but I was brought up in the U.S., and wanted to stay in my beloved country. My mother had a change of heart and returned back to the U.S. five months later. I remember singing to myself on the flight home, "California Here I Come". For some reason this painting reminded me of this, the man in the orange shirt looking like he came from another state for sure and the various ethnic people, combines to make what San Francisco and our country is all about, a melting pot of the world. By the way the location of this painting is California Street.
The painting has an ultramarine blue underpainting. I knew right off the bat this was going to create some difficulties, yet I didn't know how hard it was going to be until I got started. I am determined to push myself in this challenge and try things I never have done before. Most artists would say that the man's orange shirt is too bright and would dominate the painting, but that was the reason why I painted this painting. How bright could I make his shirt and still have the viewers eye move around the canvas. I also wanted it to vibrate in color. which I do believe it does. At first I thought I would start laying in the painting without a drawing, but it was too big and too much going on. Since the color was so dark, I had to use chalk; see image below.
I am finding that I am allowing my "Making Faces" characters come to life in my paintings. I am throughly enjoying this and loving the little stories that each one bring. I have been so fortunate to have had great training on the body, for 4 years from George De Groat my teacher in my early years as an artist. He was a genius. This is my tenth painting of my #paint52 challenge, painted in oil, measures 24" X 48" and another addition to my San Francisco series.
Thank you so much again, for supporting me in this challenge it means the world to me.
Pier 23 Cafe #paint52
What a cool place Pier 23 Cafe is! Pier 23 Cafeis family owned and has been operating for the last 25 years. If you are going to be in San Francisco during the 34th America’s World Cup in 2013, you will find it a perfect spot, which will be right next door to Pier 27, the terminal building for the race. It’s one of those places that is found through word of mouth, always busy and entertains celebrities like Anthony Bourdains' list of San Francisco’s top eateries and Nancy Pelosi with her entourage of bodyguards (which I experienced the last time I was there). I tried to capture the bright sunlight, which is a result of an unusually sunny day in S.F.; the door opened ready to invite you in for a cold “brueski”.
This is my ninth painting for my #paint52 Challenge, which you can follow on Twitter. You might also like to subscribe to the my blog and follow my weekly update. The painting was painted with Atelier Interactive Acrylics on velum, measures 9" X 12" and an addition to my San Francisco Series. SOLD
Once again I really appreciate your support and following my challenge!