I snapped this picture as I was walking out of a Wawa (a PA based convenience store/gas station) a few weeks back. This guy was just perfectly posed right outside the door and I actually had my phone at the ready! The background was of course cars, gas pumps and chaos, but I opted for a background of graffiti, as it seemed appropriate. I also was experimenting with the paint itself. I typically use a limited palette - Titanium white, Alizarin Crimson, Cad. Yellow, and Ultramarine Blue. (and sometimes Phthalo green) But this scene called for something different. The colors needed to be bright and pure. Sooo, I used... Titanium white, Quinacridone Red (love that word), Transparent yellow, transparent orange, (by Rembrandt) and prussian blue - all of which are transparent colors (minus the white) that have a bit more umph to them. I only added the white towards the end of the painting. This is a technique I have known about from reading about another artist who uses this technique (Dreama Tolle Perry) to achieve pure, bright colors. I am relatively happy with the results but feel I need to experiment with it more. The graffiti in the background is simply because I am fascinated by graffiti, and have included it in several paintings I have done previously. I love the ambiguity and abstract quality of it.
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| Graffiti Text, oil on panel, 18"x24" to purchase, please click here |
