Sunday, May 6, 2012

Laura's Color Challenge: Return to the 80s...1880s

I thought about it. I really thought about it.

A black canvas. Spattered paint in intense hues of hot pink and lime green. A return to all that was the 1980s. Black lights and mall rat hair. Jelly bracelets and lace gloves.

And then I metaphorically slapped myself. This was a challenge after all! And I like to use challenges to think outside the box, so I did.

My friend, Laura, hosts a wonderfully creative and inspiring blog called "Where the Gold Bees Dream." In her latest post, she issued a color challenge to anyone who reads her blog. She gave us three colors and we had to create something using those colors: black, lime green, and hot pink.

As I said, I thought about going the 1980s route. It made sense to do so, especially since Laura referenced that decade herself.

But I wanted to do something different. I wanted to take those colors and use them differently. Subdue and twist them. Take them somewhere beyond spiral curls and Madonna videos.

So I started with a texture from Distressed Jewell. It had shades of pink and green that I saturated until they were nearly fluorescent. Then, black as the chosen color, I began to use my "brushes" to add elements to my digital "painting."

Soon, I was reminded of the hapless narrator finally arriving at Poe's envisioned House of Usher...

Usher

"During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country ; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher."                                    
~Edgar Allan Poe

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3 comments:

  1. Wow Nichole! This is amazing! I think it's my favorite piece you've ever done! I love the gabled house hidden in the corner...yes! So very Poe! Great job on the challenge! Thanks for participating! You rocked it!

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  2. Miss Nichole, I want you to know this is a beautiful frame-able piece and the House of Usher is my favorite Poe! The colors are that of a wonderful water color imagery. Thank you for the enjoyment.

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  3. Wow! These are Great images! I am very glad you stopped by so I could meet you. I'm doing a lot with altered images right now so I'm just loving your work.

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