“Conspiracy of Color”

Two painters, two styles, one exhibition. They both teach color theory. One paints geometric abstractions. One paints atmospheric landscapes. They are Meryl Blinder and Christie Scheele.

 

Their self-imposed challenge was to create paintings using the identical color schemes. Keeping the color schemes identical allows the artists to employ all their knowledge about color theory: the saturation or intensity, the perception of depth, and the value.

 

Any conspiracy requires strategic planning. Here’s what Ms. Blinder and Ms.Scheele came up with:

#1: Create paintings using specific monochromatic color schemes.

#2: Within the monochromatic color schemes create paintings using ranges of colors from warm to cool and dark to light.

#3: Create paintings using complementary colors. Complementary colors are opposite on the color wheel and deliver the most “pop” to a painting.

 

By having color be a constant, viewers can enjoy all the other aspects of painting. Eyeballs will constantly be going back and forth. They will be comparing, contrasting, being satisfied, or being unsettled. It’s part of the process of learning about color. It’s part of the process of learning about art. The community completes the conspiracy.