Gaye’s Studio News

Blue and yellow don’t make green

4 May 2022

Michael Wilcox has a book with this title that explores the magic of colour mixing and the science behind it. Browsing through my Visual Catalogue I was drawn to a painting I loved making and sold about a year ago. It was called Be the light. I so loved it I used a small detail for the background of my business card. You guessed it the predominant colours are blue and yellow but no green.

The paint colours were ultramarine blue, rose madder and Indian yellow;a favourite trio of mine. This lead me to create 3 new 60cm square works that I am quite pleased with and have titled them Be the light to follow, Basking in the light and Be the light out there.

.Well perhaps there is a touch of green there. The rose and Indian yellow make a gorgeous orange

A new series of smaller 40 cm square works was started as well. I like to work on a number of paintings at the same time to reduce the focus on just one or two but also to allow ‘things that happen’ in one to influence another. It works well for me. Allows me to look more objectively at them and decide what to do next.

For two of them I used the palette just discussed and a structure using rock like shapes. In the second two a warmer palette was used and the process or style that featured in two I discussed in my last studio news. They are now up on my website under my Uneathed series. I have titled these four Riverbed 1 & 2 and Fire in Autumn 1 & 2.

Another one unresolved from last studio news has caused me some grief but I think its now done. I love the deep maroony colour in this and it’s inspired my next series of work. Tiled Out of place.

So three new ones are based on this maroony colour. Its derived from a paint colour I discovered last year called brown pink. With this I have mixed alizarin crimson. Both are transparent colours. They are works in progress with as yet minimal drawing into with my favourite R&F oil sticks. They have a soft creamy texture and can be blended and edges softened with fingers. Messy but very satisfying

My main tools other than these are spreaders/ bowl scrapers and silicon wedges. I have worn a few of these out. I clean up with baby oil, so no solvents.

I have added two minor colours ; saphire and Indian yellow desaturated a little with the other mix. Still have some problem areas but they are coming together. I think I like the last one best.

It was time to change my bi-monthly exhibition at City Doctors; a large medical practice in Hobart with lots of wall space. The exhibition features autumn hues and leaves. There are 10 works hanging and the title is Autumn Unearthed and most of them are from my Unearthed Series.

Upcoming exhibitions

The next local exhibition is at the Art Society of Tasmania and the them is The light in winter. No idea yet what I could enter. Following closely are two major exhibitions; the Clarence Art Prize held at the Rosny Schoolhouse and Barn in July and The Art Society of Tasmania’s Annual exhibition in the Long Gallery Salamance Place in July August. I have ordered 5 new cradled wooden boards to mount my works. So exciting!!

I sell my work directly by personal contact, with a big discount for local pick up, or though the Bluethumb online gallery.