Tertiary

Hello again friends! Sorry for not posting a blog last week.  I had this one already written ahead of time and was ready to post it last Tuesday but forgot and then next thing I know it was Friday and it was too late.  Sooooo I just skipped last week.  Now that things are getting back to normal in my house I plan on keeping my usual schedule for my blogs.  So keep reading and checking back to see what new things you can learn each week.  I do plan on getting the videos going again so stay tuned this summer we can get back on track.

Now, hold on to your hats this next color term can be confusing in writing but I will help give some visual examples to help you understand.

Tertiary colors are when one primary color (red, blue, and yellow) are mixed with a secondary color (green, orange, and violet).  Hopefully, that seems fairly simple but I will help by giving examples using a color wheel:

Notice the primary colors and secondary colors have a color between them.  That is your tertiary color.  So when you mix red + violet = you get red-violet.  When you mix blue + green = you get blue-green.  Understand?  Now you know the correct term for those colors.  Have fun mixing paint and you can see how many colors that are out there from just primary and secondary color combinations.  

Please do not forget to visit my twitter @BrennaDaileyArt and my Etsy shop atwww.etsy.com/shop/BrennaDaileyArt

Monochromatic

I know that I am a day late in posting my weekly blog and I am sorry.  I have family visiting tomorrow and needed to get some much needed cleaning done first.  My son is turning one this Friday and I am excited and sad at the same time.  I am sad because the year went so fast and he has grown from being my little baby to my little boy who loves to understand the world around him.  Everyone always says "the first year goes so fast" and I know I am going to say the "cliche" comment to that statement....they were right.  But, I am so excited to see my son grow and see his little personality bursting at the seams.  I love him dearly and can not wait to teach him about art, like I am teaching you.

Today, I am going to give a short lesson on "Monochromatic".  According to Merriam-Webster Online dictionary the term Monochromatic is defined as: having or made up of one color or shades of one color.  I would like to add to that definition by first saying the word color can be called "hue".  So Monochromatic artwork is made up of tints and shades of one hue.  So if you have a painting that is monochromatic....you would only use say for example, red.  ONLY red.  That is it!  So, that is what makes it monochromatic.

I can not talk about monochromatic work without talking about Pablo Picasso and his famous "blue period".  While Picasso was creating work between the years 1901-1904 he only created blue monochromatic paintings while he lived in Barcelona.  During this time, like most artists, he had trouble selling these famous works but of course has sold them now after he has passed and it has become one of his most famous periods of creating work.  Why he did this...not many people can explain.  I like to think he was sad....that's why he chose to use the color blue.  Either way, this is a great example of monochromatic painting.

So, go out and try and create a monochromatic piece of artwork.  You might just find that it can be more difficult then you think.

"The Old Guitarist" by Pablo Picasso

Color in Film and TV

After my son goes to bed at night my husband and I try and watch a show together if its not too late. Lately we have been watching "Dexter". It is a show about a serial killer who kills only people who are bad. Their is more to it but that is a brief summary. It is a dark show to watch but I'm curious to how it will end.  Well, I noticed the colors in the show seem to be red and green. The set design, lighting, and costumes all seem to keep that theme. So, it got me to thinking lets talk about color in film and shows.

"Dexter" and the use of greens and reds

I know I am no movie expert or very active movie watcher (anymore, after a kid who has the time?) but I, like most movie fans, notice different things in movies. I guess I notice things differently then others because I think about how it can become art but we all can agree movies use color to set a certain theme. Green lighting is one of the most unsettling colors you can use so why not use it in a horror film when the audience needs to be on edge to fully experience a scary scene. Now of course we need to mention the use of red in horror films for well, obvious reasons. It is one of the most common used colors because it creates alertness and caution for the viewer. Horror likes to make you feel as uncomfortable as possible so the director can achieve the desired effect.

I have always loved musicals. One of my favorite things musicals do is have the women wear a bright color under their dress. If the woman is wearing white and starts dancing and kicks up her dress it is red underneath. "The Music Man" does this and it is so playful which is exactly what they were going for....a playful scene to make you feel happy. I loved this so much I had my wedding dress lining be blue. So when I picked up my dress you saw a flash of blue which was also my something blue. Another great playful show with color is "Pushing Daisies". That show had great set design full of vibrant colors to make it a show that showed life which if you know anything about the show you would find that funny and true.

Here is the "Shipoopi" music scene from the 1962 "Music Man" that has the different color under the dress.

"Shipoopi"-"The Music Man"

A still of "Pushing Daisies" use of color

So next movie you watch or show you enjoy, pay attention to the colors and let that help you see what it is really about. Enjoy!

Planning

I have been prepping my yard and garden to plant the last few weeks. Could have a lot to do with the fact my parents will be visiting soon and I am surely my father's child because he does the same before they have visitors. I pulled out an old sketchbook to draw out my plans and saw all my old sketches. Preparing is so important when it comes to many things but with art, it is extremely important.

My order in telling you these things is clearly off but, I need to tell you the importance of sketching out an idea. Starting just on the canvas you will get frustrated trying to work out problems on your final product. Then, it will not look the way you want in too. You saw that happen when I was trying to paint the orange slice in my video. I didn't prepare and tried to work out the problem and it was a huge mess. So, always start with a sketch even if you feel silly doing so, the problem will not seem as big later when you work it out there.

I have many sketchbooks all over the place. My sister just told me she found some of my old ones when cleaning out her old bedroom closet. How they got there I have no clue but, that just goes to show you they are everywhere. Its funny the memories they hold from different projects I have done. Currently, I am using one that has my plans from my senior show I did in college. Even then I planned out my layout of where to put things. That same sketchbook has sketches I did in a class with one of my favorite professors who died not too long after I graduated. It is sad to be reminded of his passing but, nice to remember how much I learned in his class.

Anyways....I wanted to remind you to pull out your sketchbooks and sketch out those ideas you have swimming in your head so, you can see if they are worth pursuing. Even work out the problems they may have in accomplishing on a larger scale and how to do so. Have fun and maybe even go out and sketch outside. Maybe just maybe those sketches might be worth something one day when you are famous!

I will leave you with one of my old sketches

Also please visit my Etsy Shop and Twitter @BrennaDaileyArt

Orlan

Today, I want to share with you an artist that I did research on in college for a class that was about the body and how it was represented throughout art history.  I will do my best to keep my opinions to myself as I present her work to you.  For those of you who know me personally probably know what my true opinion is on this sort of artwork.  Which I guess a lot of people could debate whether this is art at all.  I just want you to know what is out there in terms of art and how people choose to create it.  If you would like, you can leave your opinions in the comments below or talk to me directly.  I did a lot of research on this artist and know a bit about her work.  Also, I want to start this too by saying graphic images and content are ahead so please use caution in your reading in case you have a weak stomach.

Orlan,  She is what some might call an extreme performing artist.  She has taken her views on feminism, body modification, and performing art to the next level.  In the 1990's she hit the scene big by re-defining her image....literally by changing it through plastic surgery.  She wanted to take parts of famous artworks and combine them onto her own body.  While she was getting this done, she let you watch and donate to help pay for the process. "Each of Orlan's operations is designed to alter a specific feature. Supplying surgeons with computer- generated images of the nose of a famous, unattributed School of Fontainebleau sculpture of Diana, the mouth of Boucher's Europa, the forehead of Leonardo's Mona Lisa, the chin of Botticelli's Venus and the eyes of Gerome's Pysche as guides to her transformation," (source article 2)   Like many artists have chosen different surfaces to create work, Orlan has chosen her own body to do so by reconstructing it to create the ultimate, permanent work of art.

Orlan used her plastic surgeries to make a statement on feminism and the female form throughout art history by showing how men have created this idealistic image of women.  She wanted to transform herself into what men have created in artwork to show how different it is from the norm.  Like the Greek artist, Zeuxis, who took different parts of the body from multiple models to create the "ideal" woman, so did Orlan....literally not in a painting like Zeuxis did.  (source article 2).

Currently, Orlan works in digital prints and mixed media.  She is in her 60's and still practices art in Los Angeles, New York and France (where she is from).  She has a very post-modern view of the world of art and uses art to commentate on it.

Below are images of the paintings and artwork she has taken from to create her image.

Diane

Mona Lisa

Birth of Venus

The Rape of Europa

Orlan as the Bride of Frankstein

Orlan currently

I find myself thinking of Orlan everytime I see Lady Gaga.  Maybe because both kind of look alike and have used extreme public examples of their opinions on life.  The two articles listed below are the articles I used as references for this post.

Article 1

Article 2

I wanted to share Orlan with you so you can see what art is out there.  It is not just beautiful paintings and unique works of art but commentary on life and done in different ways that some might agree with or not, it is what is being done in the world of art.  Please share your comments below or you can discuss with me in person what you think of this artist.  Again, I might warn you that in the articles I have listed are more "R" rated content that I chose not to share in my blog.  Please proceed with caution.  

St. Patrick's Day

Being very Irish and having a family that is VERY Irish how could I not celebrate today!?  My maiden name is "Kelly" which as you know...is Irish.  I used to think I could get away with not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day because well...their is a green called "Kelly Green" so I used to say "I have a green named after me, so I do not need to wear green".  A little conceded I know but hey, I'm Irish and today is the day my family celebrates for being Irish.  Now that I am no longer a "Kelly" (only by name, my family is still my family) I need to wear green.  So as I type this, I have on my green shirt for the day and my son is crawling under my feet wearing his green shirt as well.

I almost forgot today was Tuesday, I kept thinking about it's St. Patrick's Day! But alas...it is Tuesday and I owe you a post.  But being the day that it is, lets talk about GREEN!

Green as you know now is a secondary color and it's complement is red.  It hangs out with the cool colors, blue and violet.  If you have ever painted with green, you know that the actual paint is a strong pigment and can stain EVERYTHING!  According to Wikipedia (the most reliable internet source....NOT but who doesn't look up things on it just the same) the word "green" comes from the Middle English and Anglo-Saxon word "grene", from the same Germanic root as the words "grass" and "grow".  Spring is just around the corner...literally its this Friday, we will start to see a lot of green outside.  Green is a symbol of life so use a little more in your art to show plants coming alive and new growth beginning.

So, go have some Corned Beef and Cabbage with a side of potatoes to celebrate today (mine is cooking as I type) and enjoy the green that is coming back into our lives this time of year!

Finger Painting

After one of the worst drives home yesterday, I nearly forgot today was Tuesday and I needed to write a blog.  We drove for 10 hours and 9 hours of that was in the rain.  I can not tell you how much I am enjoying a sunny warm day today after 9 hours of rain and cold weather.  On top of that my poor little boy got sick while we drove, which I am pretty sure was from the drive.  I am glad to be home and not going anywhere for awhile.  Today is going to be filled with laundry and recharging from a drive like that!

On my twitter I have been seeing some really neat articles on different things in the art world that I have been re-posting so be sure to check that out.(@BrennaDaileyArt)  But today, what I was going to share with you is an artist I stumbled across on my "suggested things" on Pintrest.  A woman who took finger painting to a whole new level.  When we were little finger painting was just a fun summer activity that always resulted in a mess but a lot of fun.  Even now I love the idea of getting paint between my fingers while I play with it and create art.  This artist, Judith Braun, has taken it to that next step and made what used to be a mess into something beautiful.

Can you imagine the time and effort it would take to create something this large?  Just gorgeous.  Recently I have been trying to get footprints of my son and we have had to do this while he is in the bath and both my husband and I have to work quickly so he doesn't try to eat the paint.  I will boldly make the assumption that Judith Braun does not have that problem when she does pieces like this.  

Here is the website you can see more of this mural: Judith Braun Finger Painting

It is amazing to see the work other artists are creating out there.  Make sure to keep an eye out for new and unique art.  Learning about other artists is the best way to better yourself and keep ideas freshly coming at all times.  I hope I have helped you today be the best artist you can be with introducing you to a new one.  Have a great week and enjoy this spring weather we are finally getting!