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About the Arwork
Subject, movement, depth, texture, colour, composition and the story that a picture portrays are equally important to me when creating an image. However, when I created Jirralulu Art, I did so with the theme of 'colour' in mind. The influence of colour on people is one of my interests so I have incorporated that interest into Jirralulu Art.
With colour we are able to express so much of what we are thinking and feeling. Colour has such a great influence over our emotions whether we are consciously aware of it or not. Each colour of the spectrum has its own particular qualities and attributes and the effects are generally predictable. For instance, red, the most dominant colour of the spectrum is well known for its energy and drive. Just wearing red can make us feel more confident and vital. Red sends a message to others that we have energy. It is a bold and dynamic colour. Think about red sports cars - red is for energy, speed and aggression. Add white to red and the boystrous, pushy red becomes sociable and receptive pink. We dress our baby girls in pink because it is gentle, sweet, calming and loving. You will not see very many tiny babies dressed in red, and if you dress your two year in red you are asking for trouble! Just think about what red cordial does to kids! Though red in our decor and fashion can create a warmth, depth and sensual energy that no other colour can achieve in quite the same way.
The colours that we choose send a message to others about the way we feel, our taste, our attitude, our aspirations and our general outlook on life. Adding to that general meaning of colour, each of us will have our own experience and memory of particular colours that will influence our view. For instance if you had to wear a yellow school uniform as a child that you greatly disliked, you may have an aversion to yellow and the way you felt when wearing your uniform may return to you when you see that colour. Also colour has cultural meaning which varies from one society to another. White in western society symbolizes purity yet in some Asian countries is symbolizes death.
In creating my artwork I try to achieve a particular feeling and I use colour to a great extent for this. In many cases I use the natural colours that exist and intensify the feeling by exaggerating particular colours and hues. In other images I will use unnatural colours, such as in Green Eye, to create a feeling that is very different from the original photographic image. The affect of colour on our senses is highlighted in the difference between the two images, Fire Flower and Cartoon Flower. These images are almost identical except that in Fire Flower I have used a range of reds and oranges with yellow highlights to create warmth, depth and sensuality. Whereas Cartoon Flower with its pinks elicits a light and playful feeling. The former image is a more mature image whereas the latter is an image that would better suit a childs bedroom.
With colour there is the impact of 'brilliance'. Brilliance is the light that is contained in the colour. More than just 'brightness', brilliance beams and electrifies. It adds energy to colour. Spend a couple of minutes viewing Rainbow Art, Electric Rainbow or Electric Opposite and feel the intensity that brilliance can create. When working with these images late at night I experienced problems sleeping. Rainbows kept dancing around in my mind, disrupting my rest. The energy that these images supply is enormous. Rainbows contain every colour in the spectrum. In this way they represent balance and wholeness. They supply the viewer with a dose of the attributes and qualities of all the colours. Add brilliance and the effect is intense. These rainbows are artworks that require space and need to be large in order to enjoy their full impact. Displayed in your living space they will supply vibrance, vitality and excitement.
Just as colour makes a statement and has an impact on our emotions, so does lack of colour. Where white is all the colours of the spectrum, black is lack of light and therefore devoid of colour. In black our imagination and thoughts can run wild. Without light we cannot see so our other senses are more finely tuned, including our imagination. Think of the visual feast we are presented with each night through dreaming even though in the dark of night with our eyes shut there is only black. Therefore black is creativity, imagination, vision and philosophical thoughts. When viewed alongside a colour, black provides a contrast to create intensity in the colour that it appears with.
Grey is black with white. The white adds a touch of all the colours of the spectrum. Grey is a transitional colour that symbolises realism, practicality and endurance. Pale greys are soothing and tranquil. Grey does not make too many demands on our senses and therefore it is easy to live with. It blends with most colours. It is quiet, peaceful and agreeable. Some would say it is the perfect housemate. Greys can be used to create a sense of loneliness, such as in the photographic image Stark. Add just a touch of brown to the grey and you create warmth, such as in the image The Fellas and Home Hole.
We are confronted with tens of thousands of images every day. Each one of those images will have an affect on us. The affect can be so minute so it goes unnoticed or it can be dramatic or haunting, and of course there is various levels of affect in-between those two extremes. The impact is also compounding, so that a day filled with beautiful images will uplift us and create happy, positive feelings, whereas a day filled with frightening or sad images will deflate us and bring about negative feelings. It sounds obvious, and it is, however it occurs at such a basic level that often we do not think about the influence of image. However, images and colour can profoundly influence the way we feel and, hence, the way we behave. Having knowledge of the impact of image and colour on ourselves helps us to select, for our home and sacred space, the energy and atmosphere that serves us the best.
I hope you enjoy viewing my pictures as much as I enjoy creating them. If you have any questions about colour, please feel free to contact me.
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