Harmony-Tone

Oil On Panel

48 x 48 inches

2018

SOUND PAINTING series

In art, tone is the general effect produced by using light and dark colours. In music tone is a sound with a definite pitch, constituting the basic building material of music.

For colour inspiration I looked to colours of emerald and jade. Using phthalo blue and cadmium yellow, I created the base tone. I kept the vibrations to a minimum since I felt the musical tone should be fairly even. I masked off sections to preserve them, and using warmer green tones I painted with string to create frequency. I alternated several different tones to create subtle texture and a sense of frequency. With each layer of paint, the surface texture changed dramatically, affecting subsequent layers creating more drama.

In the last layers I glazed the background in low key blues to push it back. For the foreground I glazed in the lightest greens to really add dimension. This creates a sense of peering through a “curtain” to the first layer, illustrating the concept of tone as a building material. By primarily using the three primary colours to create the greens, I am insured harmony of colour.