Cafe Window

Acrylic on Panel

8 X 10

This picture came from a school trip to France that my teacher took. Creating a scene behind glass is very difficult. To set the people back and make them look like they are behind a window, the color must be darker and duller than that of the foreground. The words and stickers on the window also help make the window look like glass. I glazed over all the windows with a gray blue color to give it the far away appearance. The background of the cafe is even darker than the people in the window and has less detail. The most intense color is the red on the outside of the building. This is because it is outside in daylight. The door is dark and dull because it is in a shadow. The lightest color is white and is balanced around the painting.

Two Old Men

Acrylic on Panel

8 X 10

This is my first black and white painting I have ever done. I did not use just blacks and white because in doing that I would have given the painting a harsh feeling. Instead, I used shades and tints of purple. The two old men sitting on the bench in the foreground have more detail compared to the abstracted background. The background in the picture I used as a reference, was windows on a building. There were people and other shapes in the windows that I blurred and put less emphasis on. The darkest dark is the dominating color, which balances the less of the lightest light. To me the men have angry expressions on their faces giving the idea that these men are either mad at each other or they are complete strangers.

Family Colors

 Acrylic on Panel

8 X 10

Color plays a major part in this painting. Much of it is arbitrary because its not exactly realistic. The bright colors give it an older 50s look, which goes along with the idea of the happy, typical American families that are thought of from the 1950s. The background is contrasted with the family by the calm blue background, with the busy colors of the family. Some of the blue background is brought into the family in the fathers tie, the girls dress, and in the turkey. There is emphasis on the mothers red dress and the yellow oven because they are the only true colors in the painting. The location of the family makes the whole group a focal point. Unity is created by the proximity of the family. This is important not just for art reasons but also to tell a story of the closeness of the family.