Cecilia Swatton

This post focuses on what happens when brand-new 6" x 6" Garden at Nemours Stencil (S844) is paired with 6" x 6" Garden at Nemours Mask (S658) .  Because they are exact opposites, they tickle the brain with creative possibilities.

What do I mean by exact opposites? A picture is worth a thousand words --

Above: 6" x 6" Garden at Nemours Mask (S658)

Above:  6" x 6" Garden at Nemours Stencil (S844)

Here's the key to the above:  White = the areas that will be covered by the Mylar when paint is applied.  Black = the areas that will not be covered by Mylar when paint is applied.  

 

The abstract painting-starter above was made with both stencil and mask.  I call this an abstract painting "starter" because it will be further developed, by adding more layers of paint and/or by being cut into shapes destined for collage.

Below:  Another abstract painting "starter", this one developed thru use of opposing angles to print with both Garden at Nemours Stencil  and Garden at Nemours Mask.  The background had started life as a photo from an old magazine.  As this piece continues on its journey to resolution, more paint layers will further obscure this background photo.

Below:  This "starter" piece, on watercolor paper, has evolved thru the use of both mask and stencil. 

 

Below:  This painting "starter" began on a background of white paper smeared with a wide streak of purple paint. The yellow print was made with Garden at Nemours Mask (S658) and the next layer (blue) was made using Garden at Nemours Stencil (S844).  Notice how the subtle similarities between the two designs create unity; yet, at the same time, the left-leaning yellow image contrasts with the right-leaning of the blue image.  This contrast makes for variety to heighten overall visual interest.

Today's next-to-last art sample is below.  High contrast has already been created; the original print was made on a pale yellow-green background using Garden at Nemours Stencil (S844) with bright magenta paint.  Next, I used Garden at Nemours Mask (S658) and dark green acrylic paint.  The high contrast is created in two ways, the more obvious one being the contrast between pale yellow-green and dark green.  This is a contrast in value.

A less obvious device is also at work here; the pale yellow-green and the bright magenta (red-violet) are near-opposites on the color wheel.  This is a contrast in hue.  

Thus the art sample below shows two ways of creating high contrast in a painting, and that visual effect is plain to see....

Today's final art sample, below ....

.... offers another example of color wheel opposites and near-opposites working together.  The result is that each appears brighter when it's placed side-by-side with its opposite or near-opposite.  In this case, those two color opposites are orange/yellow-orange and blue.

Another characteristic of this composition is that it has a way of ramping the brightness higher still.  Its background print -- made with yellow-orange-red and Garden at Nemours Stencil (S844) -- has become a neutral colored area, now that it's covered with in blue using Garden at Nemours Mask (S658).  This neutral color surrounds many yellow-orange-red areas, causing the "yellow fellows" to appear even brighter than they would otherwise. 

This "neutrality" of color is sometimes called "mud" because, as color wheel opposites or near-opposites, they cancel out the original two colors when mixed together.  

Thanks for following my logic and explanations in today's post; I hope they make sense.  To flip thru the pages of my StencilGirl stencils and masks , please start here.