Violet~ Trending With Color

Symbolic of royalty, violet or purple, is on trend in decorating. In challenging economic times, what could be more comforting than living with color fit for a king?

As I consider the color’s various associations with serenity, mysticism, and creativity, I am reminded of a report I wrote about Phoenicia in the third grade. At that tender age, Phoenician culture fascinated me, particularly its artistry. Ancient mariners, it was the Phoenicians who extracted indigo dye from mollusks, using it as a means of barter to build wealth. The rare and treasured color was affordable only to royal families.

To a colorist, violet’s wealth is in its balance of opposing forces. It is combination of two primary colors, red and blue. Red’s qualities are active and advancing; blue is passive and receding. Tension and equilibrium of these qualities offer subtle, expressive possibilities to the artist, decorator, and landscape designer.

The painting, entitled Violet, explores the abundance of variation within this single hue. Subtle shifts in value, intensity, and color temperature cause pleasant stimulation in the cones of our eyes. Restraint of color allows for exploration of textural contrasts and sharpness versus softness of edge. These visual attributes engage and draw us in, the same way that one focuses to hear a whisper. The elegant aesthetic of Violet is the result of nuance.

Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Artist, working at Fenway Studios. Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life and landscape paintings and has achieved significant acclaim for portraiture. She has exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and with Art du Monde, a traveling exposition in Japan. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly displayed at the Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases the artist’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints and note cards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Violet, is a 20 x 16 Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf. Fine art prints of this image are available at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop.

Related Links~

• What is Violet?
• Designing With Purple
• All about Violet

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Rhythms and Roses~ In Celebration of Spring

Friday is the first day of spring and it is almost warm enough to work in the garden. The idea of renewal has us adjusting to brighter days, lighter colors and thoughts of new growth. There is a delicacy in the air, a quickening sensation of life force.

Roused by the Muses of Spring, I created Rhythms and Roses. It is one of a series of four paintings inspired by seasonal delight. The delicate color is soothing to our eyes, a gentle emergence from the neutrality of winter months. The split-complementary color scheme is tempered by use of light tints. Spiraling pattern of the spring green carafe and carved detail of the shelf create a sense of movement and growth. Orchestration of soft versus firm edge and echoes of interwoven color throughout Rhythms and Roses establishes a quiet pulse.

Since it’s still a little cool to garden, I attend to spring tidying and redecorating at home. I feel the vernal urge to begin again. And to help me encourage the Muses of Spring, Rhythms and Roses is now gracing the mantel.

Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Artist, working at Fenway Studios. Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life and landscape paintings and has achieved significant acclaim for portraiture. She has exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and with Art du Monde, a traveling exposition in Japan. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly displayed at the Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo, showcases the artist’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints and note cards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Rhythms And Roses, part of The Rhythms Series, is a 24 x 17 Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf. Fine art prints and handmade notecards of this image are available at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Related Links~

• Freshen Your Home for Spring
• Collecting Art
• Tips on Hanging Art
• Ideas on Displaying Art

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Dawn, Bass Rocks

Transition. Nature is waking up; the delicate pink of the early morning skies are lightly tinged with diaphanous orange, a glowing promise of warmer days to come. This scene is why I call Gloucester home; I remain in the alluring contrast of rugged coast against ethereal skies and ever-changing sea.

At dawn, Bass Rocks frames a gentle sea but the granite teeth expose the ocean’s many moods. It is a delightful place to paint at the moment; tranquility dominates. I am reminded of a name from a childhood spent with mythology books—Genius Loci— there is a spirit here, animating this place and I am bonded to it as I paint.

We have filled the empty spaces of the landscape as quickly as possible with things~ buildings, shopping plazas, harsh lighting. As convenient as that may seem, it has done much to desensitize us to the wild beauty of the world. Bass Rocks, Gloucester remains a sacred place, likely protected by the Spirits we’ve forgotten.

Melody Phaneuf is an award-winning artist, painting on location in Gloucester and at Fenway Studios in Boston, which, she deems a perfect balance. She is a regular exhibitor at Northshore Arts in Gloucester and The Guild of Boston Artists, Boston.

Dawn, Bass Rocks~ Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf, 20 x 16

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Links~

• Genius Loci
• Myths of The Sea
• Cape Ann Museum

Meditation on Inner Treasure~ Relics of The Sea

Evocative of a world of voyaging, treasure, and discovery, Relics of the Sea addresses a mystical as well as a decorative perspective. Subtle lighting and gradated color give the painting a misty, mysterious essence. This silvery, pensive quality of the light invites revelation.

Voyager of the collective unconscious, Carl Jung believed that our dreams showed us parts of the mind that are hidden and need to be brought into conscious recognition. He noted that fairy tales and myths expressed this deep need. Myths of the sea tell tales of voyagers, lulled into battle with mysterious forces and angry Gods, emerging as triumphant heroes. In the depths of the sea, discoveries are made and priceless treasures are uncovered.

In Relics of The Sea, my intention was to go beyond the decorative, to fathom a deep level of attention and open an unconscious awareness. The layers of woven color and gentle pendulum-like movements of the eye through the painting’s composition sooth us and give rhythm to our breathing. Round, transparent glass floats, etched by their journey, focus our attention and invite us to dwell deeper within. Accents of the various object's edges build cyclical patterns, symbolizing mythical rather than linear time. The mood evoked is contemplative; a design for introspection and self-discovery.

Melody Phaneuf is a Boston artist, working at historic Fenway Studios. She resides in Gloucester, Ma, where, the enchantment of the sea captivates her imagination.

Relics of The Sea, oil painting by Melody Phaneuf, 32 x 24

Studio visits are welcomed. Please visit our website, MelodyTheArtist.com

Links~

• Visual Meditation
• Jung~ Myths, Dreams, Symbols
• Tales of The Sea

Composing Paintings

Visual composition organizes space in the same way that classical music organizes time. All parts of a visual composition —line, color, value, shape, texture, size, and direction— are subordinated to a main idea. The idea is the intention expressed by the artist.

Compositional arrangements begin in a variety of ways. At times the artist may want to simply convey a mood with a decorative statement. Sometimes the idea is more complex and illustrative, such as expression of a myth, homage to a person, or historic era. Exploration of an elemental relationship, for example, the interaction of a certain combination of colors, shapes and lines can be the source on which to structure visual compositions as well. This aleatoric mode demands that the artist recognize a pattern, rhythm, or movement and what is evoked from that particular arrangement.

In still life composition, the artist arranges objects, choosing the lighting and color to best communicate the intention. In landscape painting, composition is the art of selection. It is essential to choose the vantage point that leads the viewer through the scene in the manner and at the pace intended to create a certain visual experience. In portraiture, a combination of arrangement and selection is required to best express the personality of the sitter.

Artful composition is quite abstract. The best representational painting isn’t judged on how well the artist emulates nature in paint; it is based on distinguished abstract structure. The way in which that structure affects us communicates certain ideas or moods much the same as musical structure does.

Fireworks may seem to be a decorative clutch of flowers and fruit amongst crockery. Compositionally, it is an exploration of the explosive nature of red in a field of its complementary color; and cyclical motion, with its relation to time and space. The whirling movement is balanced by triangular stability; the reverberating red echoes throughout, drawing the eye along melodically while the spots of light punctuate the darkness with a lively rhythm. The experience reminds me of watching a fireworks display, in which one attempts to follow one burst of light but is inevitably drawn to the next.

I “hear” this painting. The snap, crackle, pop against the sough and rattle pleases me. Still a work in progress, Fireworks is just moments from the finale.

Melody Phaneuf is a Boston artist, composing and painting at historic Fenway Studios. She is a regular exhibitor at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury St, Boston. More photos of Fireworks in progress and the sight size method of painting can be viewed on facebook~ Become a fan and please visit MelodyTheArtist.com/shop.


Links~

• Aleatoric Composition
• Composition in Art
• Henry Rankin Poore on Composition

Paying Homage To The Oracle

Uncertain times. The news is discouraging. Leaders arm-wrestle over stimulus plans and nuclear arms. I listen to financial and political analysts; I overhear conversations. Just now, I am within earshot of a group of teenagers in intense discussion. The answer to all our economic woe is revealed. Of course! They know everything after all, but they have yet to live in their car, as does Henrietta Hughes, who, just yesterday, threw herself on the mercy of President Obama.

Indecision wracks us all, causing sleepless nights and distracted days. I am intrigued by the historical use of oracles to resolve dilemmas. What mechanism of mind or will allows one to believe in the certainty of this answer? Why does the tossing of a coin, lighting of a candle, or shuffling of the deck ease the burden of decision?

We have our present-day Oracles. I recall a radio interview with a Major Ed Dames, former CIA guru of “remote viewing” during the cold war with Russia in the 50’s. The interview was a couple of years ago, when the real estate market was cooling off a bit. “Total world economic collapse coupled with worldwide pandemic,” he prophesied. Stocks were soaring then; the Major was obviously eccentric, but I am now taking vitamins, just in case.

The painting entitled Oracle pays homage to the idea that focusing on something external can unlock an internal gate, where the roadmap to destiny lies hidden. Deep, absorbent blue and dazzling golden stars whirl us into a hypnotic space where the veil is lifted and the Oracle speaks. It is a quiet consultation, still a whisper at the moment. I will be sure to keep you posted on what I find out.

Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Artist, well known for her evocative still life and landscape paintings. She has exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and with Art du Monde, a traveling exposition in Japan. Her paintings are regularly displayed at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.

Phaneuf is a member of the Fenway Studios Cooperative, a community of artists whose historic north light building was modeled on the 19th century Parisian Ateliers. Visits to her studio are welcomed.

Oracle, by Melody Phaneuf, Oil Painting, 24 x 32

Related Links~

• Oracles Throughout History
• In Search Of Delphi
• Entranced In Tibet

The Art of Hand-Written Notes

We keep them for weeks or sometimes years. We display them on the refrigerator, come across them in drawers and bookcases. Like revisiting a favorite place, we open and read them again. Hand-written notes touch us because they are expressions of caring.

How my spirit soars as I reread a note from a former teacher and much-admired artist:

Dear Melody,

Just a note to say how very fine your 3 winter rooftops appear at the Guild~
You have taken your gift for design into the landscape & done so with a handsome, restrained color scheme.

They are First Rate!!!

Best Regards,
Bob

Taking the time to write a short, kind note when it isn’t expected stirs us, opening portals of connection. I celebrate Valentine’s Day by writing notes to honor friendships and the work of others. Whatever the sentiments of the correspondence may be, the unspoken message of a hand-written note is “you matter to me.”


Melody Phaneuf is a Boston Artist, working at Fenway Studios. Phaneuf is well known for her evocative still life and landscape paintings and has achieved significant acclaim for portraiture. She has exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and with Art du Monde, a traveling exposition in Japan. Phaneuf’s paintings are regularly displayed at The Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.

Melody The Artist Home, founded with photographer and color specialist, Martha DiMeo showcases the artist’s original paintings on tumbled marble tile murals and coasters, fine art prints and note cards. Online ordering at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Featured Above~ Rhythms And Red, handmade note cards, from the original oil painting by Melody Phaneuf

Related Links~

• Business Note Etiquette
• The Habit of Personal Notes
• The Tradition of Valentine Notes