From the Artist: The red backdrop of the paper provides a canvas for the wall color whilst its warmth conveys subtle changes and tones of local color throughout the whole of the still life. I had tremendous fun experimenting with colored paper as a base and hope to use this approach with other mediums and subjects in the future.
From the Painting Guide: It's great fun trying out different base colors, whether you're working on a color paper or a colored ground, because it has such an influence on the colors you put down. Whether you leave most of it showing, as here, or only small bits, is a question of personal style. However, I've never really seen the point of using a colored sheet of paper which you then totally obscure.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Background: My favorite element in this painting is the iris in the top left corner, where the colored background lends such a richness to the bloom. What doesn't work for me are the 'marks on the wall' behind the blue bowl on the right; to me they seem to float in space, neither anchoring the table top, nor adding to the concept of 'wall' behind the elements.
From the Painting Guide: It's great fun trying out different base colors, whether you're working on a color paper or a colored ground, because it has such an influence on the colors you put down. Whether you leave most of it showing, as here, or only small bits, is a question of personal style. However, I've never really seen the point of using a colored sheet of paper which you then totally obscure.
Things to Consider When Looking at This Painting:
Background: My favorite element in this painting is the iris in the top left corner, where the colored background lends such a richness to the bloom. What doesn't work for me are the 'marks on the wall' behind the blue bowl on the right; to me they seem to float in space, neither anchoring the table top, nor adding to the concept of 'wall' behind the elements.