Color Composition Thinking
from Skip Whitcomb
Skip Whitcomb discusses the concept of adding another level to color composition thinking by considering dominant color statements, value range, and color temperature.
Let’s add another level to our color composition thinking. We are all working with triads, but this is only the beginning. When looking within this triad, we need to decide what we want to make our dominant color statement to be. Look at the painting of Skip’s below. It is a basic triad of red, yellow, and blue. Skip’s reds were in the burnt sienna and rose. His yellow was a yellow or gold ochre. There are subtle passages of yellow in the trees. Then, the blue was ultra-marine and cobalt blue. It’s a high-key and cool painting, as we can see by the temperature of the colors. It is mostly blues throughout with a few punctuations of warm passages. It is really important for us to implement these additional tools into our color thinking. This goes right along with the idea of a limited palette.
Now that we have started exploring the triad, and its endless possibilities, we need to start considering what we are going to do with these. We need to make a dominant color statement. The other thing to take into consideration is what value range we will be working in. Will it be mostly darks and a few lights, or mostly lights with a few darks? Or, will it be a very high-key painting? In addition to this, we need to make a decision on is what temperature of our color will dominate. It could be mostly warm with a few cools, or mostly cool with a few warms. In Skip’s case, it is mostly cools with a few warms.
“Now that we have started exploring the triad, and its endless possibilities, we need to start considering what we are going to do with these.”
The second example below is by Bernard Dustan. Again, this shows a very simple, earthy triad. The value range is mostly lights with a few darks. This appears to be a nocturne, full moon painting. This is a key to composition. Not only in color, but in the dynamics of the way he is breaking the space up. His dominant shade is light and his color temperature tends to be on the cool side. It is cool in the sense to the degree that his colors are very muted. He is controlling his entire composition with his values. It is mostly light, with a few darks.
We must work toward a deeper understanding through the incorporation of dominant color statements, value range, and color temperature. By embracing these facets, we can ultimately enrich the visual experience for both creator and observer alike.
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