For my first blog, I wanted to create a piece in which I could explore a new painting technique. Until now, I have only used neutral tones or muted blues when toning my canvases–so, this time I went out of my comfort zone. Flora & Fawn features the usage of florescent pink as the initial tone I built off of.

This technique helps to create the illusion of more vibrancy throughout the piece, especially in the complementary greens. Due to the success of this piece, I’ve decided that I will be continuing to use this approach moving forward. As I work on more paintings, I’d like to see how different color palettes interact with such an abstract tone. Since I created this piece using only acrylic, next I will be experimenting with other mediums such as oil, watercolor, and possibly even dry mediums such as oil pastel.

When it comes to the subject of this artwork, I chose to do a fawn for two main reasons. Firstly, I live in an area where I see deer constantly. In some way, they remind me of home. Recently, we have seen many deer with fawns in tow in our backyard! Additionally, I wanted to choose a subject that wouldn’t feature too many distracting or highly contrasting colors. By choosing a neutral-toned subject and pairing it with florescent tones to vibrate off of, color harmony is much more attainable.

Much of my journey through art has consisted of constant shifts; whether it be in medium, style, or subject. It can be frightening to branch out of your primary medium or usual techniques, but many times you may surprise yourself with what you might create by allowing yourself to explore. So, if any of you readers have been looking for your sign to try something new: here it is!