I keep mentioning this but colour is such an integral part of my making process that it comes up again and again. I have moved away from primary colours to more surprising source material and coloured grounds rather than white. I walked and photographed colours from my journey, meandering and looking for graphic qualities in the environment or where one thing encroached on another. These are some of the photos I took and have been drawing from for colour palettes…
Reflection
It’s proving useful to use photographic source material to inspire palettes. I’m not working too closely with them but have certainly explored some alternative colour combinations. My work now seems to have a dominant colour (background) which binds the composition together. I have also been playing with some graphic markings I have seen in graffiti on my canvas surface which has resulted in a bolder depiction of figures in some places.
One Month Reflection
This was the point when i started to consciously make decisions about colour which went beyond either a direct reference to the images, or aesthetics. It was useful for me to break away from these making habits and try different colour palettes from different source material (not all published in this blog). I have found a particular affinity with raw, meaty flesh tones and have also developed a strategy for extracting colour out of the stains on top of the coloured ground where the pigment separates. This has resulted in the last 4 of the Trace Dance series appearing more similar in terms of colour – although they each have a distinct identity – they sit well together when considering the curation of the exhibition.
Alexa Cox Studio 