ADDING NEW COLORS TO THE PALETTE

The works created for "The Stripe" series used a fairly consistent palette in all of the pieces.  This, plus the stripe theme, kept the series cohesive.  The salt bag portion of the nomadic series, currently in the works, is sending me to some new colors. While hooking, I ended up pulling out a bright magenta I had planned to place in a rectangular stripe portion of the piece.  It had the same value (lightness or darkness of a color) as the turquoise placed next to it and just did not work.  When values are similar a lack of contrast occurs.  The replacement color is in the light/red/pink range which is a color I rarely use, but flows well with this piece.

I tend to veer toward brights and darks with a neutral thrown in.  There will be more chance to experiment with adding lighter shades to my favorites this year.

Above is the original palette that was planned.  Not enough light values.

Above, a black and white version allows you to see that there is too much similarity of values in the center grouping.  More light is needed.

Above you can see the lighter color substituted for the magenta.  This adds needed contrast to the piece.  Below is the color photo of the above.  Compare to the second photo in this post.  Much better.

We all have colors we are drawn to, and  I am no exception.  Join me this year in adding colors you would not normally use to your palette.  Whether for clothing, dinnerware, home decor or other areas of your life, enjoy the range of colors available and have a great day!

"ROAD HOME" HOOKED, NEW SALT BAG DESIGNS

A very Happy New Year to everyone.  The hooking on "The Road Home" was completed yesterday.  The edges still need to be whipped, a frame ordered and a mounting board cut.

 "The Road Home", Lori LaBerge, 2012

                                            

In the meantime, research on nomadic life and art has continued.  New designs have begun based on nomadic salt bags.  The bags drew my attention as I have been wanting to work with various shapes.  They have a large rectangular bottom section and a narrow vertical neck.  The neck area is narrowed to prevent the salt from falling out and rainwater from entering the bag.  The bags are made to hold rock salt for sheep.  The salt makes the sheep thirsty and they will drink more water. They are then able to graze for days at higher altitudes where water is not as plentiful before returning to lower land.  To view a photo of a salt bag click here.

The basic designs below are modernized and will be mixed media pieces using wool and metal.  Other materials may be incorporated as the pieces progress.  I have yet to complete the designs which will go into the rectangular areas.

New designs, Lori LaBerge, 2012

Working on new designs is always fun.  It always amazes me where it leads and how much I learn.  Enjoy where new things in life take you in 2012 and have a great day!