colour mixing nature

Back in March I began a new series of colour of works on paper that were simply about mixing and matching colour, evolving hues through the process of painting individual swatches to build the narrative in a sequence, as if a technical exercise at art school. You can read about those pieces here.

KFarley_grass_gouacheI’ve continued to gather pieces from nature on the walks I’ve been on this summer and have continued with the process of mixing colour and so I thought I’d share some here.

KFarley_wheat_gouache

I’m doing this simply as I love to make colour, and really enjoy working with the gouache paint for its colour qualities. The process occupies my mind, suggests potential avenues for future work and connects me with nature through the mementoes I make. The seasons change and the colours alter, but the swatches hold memories in the process of mixing, and I can almost smell the dry heat of the corn, and the cool shade of the wood where I found the Jay feather.

qrf

 

Flint and feather finds

KFarley_flint_feather1500

Having gathered a few beautiful feathers that had come loose from an unfortunate pheasant we came across this shard of flint on the side of a field that had an uncanny visual similarity to the feather despite the significant differences in material properties of soft versus sharp.