I'm completely honored that a peer used my watercolor painting, Raquel Welch for a recent assignment for his Visual Communication's course.
(c) Ashley Gilbert Raquel Welch 2014
To read what James wrote about this piece, continue scrolling!
P.S. This piece is currently for sale and hanging at The Singing Stone Gallery until August 31st! Contact Nataly or Dan singingstoneart@gmail.com 813-728-7325
PAINTING DECONSTRUCTION by James Yoquoui
"The artist in this painting uses a lot of different shades of blue engendering a feeling of softness, being cool and relaxed. Yet the colors also seem to express some level of anticipation and expectation as you stare at it. The color makes me relaxed but also makes me feel like I’m in expectation of something. Had the artist used a different color (i.e. red) as dominantly as she used the blues, I would have felt a lot more anxious with a sense of want. Because of the absorption quality of blue it makes it easy to look upon without creating a desire to look away. However, she put some subtle expressions of yellow in the painting.
The yellow color though not overwhelming, helps to keep the blue from making me feel too relaxed. I believe the artist was trying to make me feel calm but also to be on the lookout for whatever may come. The smooth transition between the two colors is easy on the eyes and carries over in the different forms that the painting helps to explain.
The artist uses a lot of lines within the painting according to Lester “if horizontal line is low in the frame, it reminds the viewer that there is plenty of room to grow. However, if the line is high in the frame it feels confining.” The lines in the painting merge with the subjects in the foreground, and their expression of looking forward to something, or looking ahead. The horizontal lines paint a picture of looking forward to something.
The shapes used in this painting throws me off a little bit because the artist uses several different shapes, rectangle, square, triangles and even circles. While I see the determination in the facial expressions of the subjects in the foreground, the different shapes create a sort of confusion at first, but then I see the strength and determination in the eyes of the subjects and when you put it all together with the previous descriptions you can see that these subjects seem to be drawing strength from looking to the future with hope.
The more you look closely at the picture you see the various layers that the painting brings out and the depth that can be felt. It looks as though the subjects are staring outside the window and the colors help separates the car and the vendors outside from the subjects inside. Looking at the use of color and lighting bring out the activities taking place in the back is quite unique.
The artist also uses interposition to reveal an almost 3D like feel to the painting. The 3D-effect often shows the subject leaping of the page to help capture the eye of the viewer.. The interposition helps to reveal the depth of this painting it distinguishes the various aspects of the painting, and almost separates the different parts. The illusionary perspective makes it feel like the car and everything is happening right in front of your face.
Graphic movement as well as implied movement is used though out this painting. The car appears to be stationary, but when you look at the lines underneath it almost looks like the care is moving slowly from where it is and the subjects are looking at it longingly as if to say they have been in expectation of something to take them to their destination.
These four forms helps to bring this painting to life and it helps explain to a good extent what was on the mind of the artist as she painted this, maybe considering the possibilities that could be regardless of what was. That is the same expression I see on the faces of these subjects.