Rooms With Windows

oil painting
Rooms With Windows, oil on canvas 18 in. x 36 in., April 2018

I am drawn to the crisp vertical and horizontal lines of window frames coupled with the more amorphous, sprawling shapes of sun cast onto walls and the floor. I wanted to simplify and enrich this concept by creating an expansive, bright, and colorful painting with concrete edges between hues. I experimented with color placement and shape to describe rooms with windows.

My shapes have wonky, wiggly outlines because it makes the colors more playful and free even though I use very strong color-blocking. I created dimension and perspective with shapes and colors, using darker colors to push walls back, and lighter colors to bring windows and sun patches forward. I connected the rooms together by using the same sun patch and window colors in each. A muted buttery yellow represents the sun areas, and a pale muted pale pink represents the windows (except for the blue-paned window). I mostly chose muted colors for this painting to relax the sharp contrast between blocks of color, and to evoke a feeling of peace.

I also used darker colors around sun patches, (ie: the cranberry and orange colors) to mimic how areas surrounding real sun patches appear darker. I enjoyed creating this painting, and I would like to explore more of this “abstract” windows, walls, and floors theme in future paintings. But I think I want to return to creating a fun still-life for my next painting.

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