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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Sunflowers of Dordogne

I have spent some of my happiest moments painting in France. Waves of sunflower fields are in bloom in southern France from late June to early July. It is a heady experience to be surrounded with so much yellow joy.

This was a breezy day, with crisp blue skies and fat cumulus clouds, the cause of shadows skipping over hillsides. The combination of a high major key, and range of color from cool blue to warm yellow punctuated with a bit of red does much to buoy one’s spirits. Bobbing sunflowers and gentle rocking composition animate the canvas and sway us toward delight.

As I contemplate Sunflowers of Dordogne II, I step into that experience again. I am standing in the field, bathed in warmth of the French sun, a perfect antidote to shoveling snow.

Sunflowers of Dordogne II, Oil Painting by Melody Phaneuf, Private Collection

Tile Murals, Coasters and Open Edition Prints of Sunflowers of Dordogne II at MelodyTheArtist.com/shop

Melody Phaneuf is a member of Fenway Studios Cooperative, a community of Boston artists whose historic north light building was modeled on the 19th century Parisian Ateliers. Studio visits are welcomed.

Melody's paintings have been exhibited at Galerie Herouet in Paris, The National Arts Club in New York City, and were included in a traveling exposition in Japan. Her work is regularly displayed at the Guild of Boston Artists, 162 Newbury Street, Boston, MA.


Useful Links~

• Sunflowers B & B, Lot et Garonne
• Caves of the Dordogne
• Walks in Dordogne