A Butterfly Mandala

Taos artist Jerry Walter has been Photoshopping with The New Creative Artist again: "This morning I was in the garden with the digital camera and this butterfly was working hard in the larkspur and it really wanted to pose for me. So I thought "What a wonderful subject for a torn edge mandala" (Page 70). So about 20 pictures later, here it is."

The color contrast of the blue larkspur and yellow butterfly is really effective. Although we usually think of blue and orange as being the complementary colors, that's in reference to color mixing. Hilary Page lists blue and yellow as "visual complements," which have more impact when juxtaposed. I love it!

Watercolor class--contrasts

The lessons in color contrasts the past two weeks were on temperature contrast, then complementary contrast. Temperature contrast doesn't have to be opposites--it can be as simple as which of two reds is warmer or cooler than the other. But complementary opposites are always temperature opposites, which is why they are such a powerful contrast to use. My Hithergreen class caught on to both right away. Critiques are so much fun at the end of class when we see how each one has interpreted the lesson. Unfortunately, my camera battery quit on me so I didn't get pictures. Today we're doing quantity (size) contrast. Can't wait to see what they come up with. Next week I'll be teaching a workshop in Palm Coast, Florida, for the Flagler Art League. It will be nice to go where it's warm for a few days.