In recent months I have limited my palette to red and blue - two colors I consider to be very different and have significant range in expression. As I have thought about interior states of mind vs exterior realities and indoor vs outdoor spaces, the limited palette has been a useful means of contrasting.
I created a small accordion book, encased in red, to explore and observe how these two colors interacted with regard to space.
I started the first panel with a seat from my studio. Blue lines rain downward and position the chair somewhat distantly despite the cropped space. Without a sitter, the chair does not operate as an object but rather a place. The red remains on the surface of the cushions and outlines the larger wrinkles. The red is a reminder of the chair’s “living-ness”.
Red Blue Spaces (Panel 1), 2020
Accordion Book with Colored Pencil
7 x 9 inches (when open)
For the second panel, I turned my attention to my workspace - my computer within the space of my studio. The computer is drawn in various shades of blue. It is inorganic but it is also a portal and a means of connecting with people. Spots of red appear on the screen to reflect the presence of others (in this case via Zoom). In the background, windows looking out into the yard are red, again referencing something alive (and possibly dangerous or urgent). Like the computer, the walls are blue. They are hard and constructed. The tiled floor and wood desk are at times blue, red, or both.
Red Blue Spaces (Panel 3), 2020
Accordion Book with Colored Pencil
7 x 9 inches (when open)
In the third panel, I moved outside my studio into the yard. Red and blue operate somewhat differently here than they did inside. The majority of the composition is blue, yet it doesn’t feel melancholic. The sky is patterned and divided by the string lights. Th grass is also patterned and lively. The fence line, in great contrast, is red. It cuts across the composition. Acting as barrier, the fence stops and encloses the space. While disrupted, the space is held together and closed.
Red Blue Spaces (Panel 3), 2020
Accordion Book with Colored Pencil
7 x 9 inches (when open)
Nine months into the pandemic, my relationship and experience of my studio has fluctuated between comforting and isolating. This book explores those fluctuations in a brief three pages.
