An Inspiration for a Four Painting Challenge

I like a good challenge, I do.

So much so, I was inspired by Elaine, over at Rose Elaine’s Art, and her recent series of posts. Now Elaine says she was inspired by Raili, from Soul Gifts, and following her inspiration painted four new digital paintings which were totally different from each other but matched each other perfectly. You’ll have to visit Elaine’s blog for the whole story, and Raili’s for the inspiration (I’ve already included the links!)

Elaine hadn’t painted four paintings together before, and I just happened to mention that I couldn’t wait to see her next four. And this is where the challenge began!

Somehow, I don’t know how, it may have been me, we ended up challenging each other to create four digital paintings each using the same colours and that they looked good side by side.

I’ve created two paintings so far. Randomly abstract from my head, based on ancient civilisations that may or may not have existed. I’ve chosen to use four colours, black, white, yellow and brown (I got that inspiration from a banana!) and then just sploshed the colours around. Well, digitally sploshed. Spread. Smeared. No. None of them sound right. I digitally put the colours together (quickly and freehand – which is plainly obvious but I was only going for the impression of symmetry. Some may say I was going for the impression of art, but art is in the eye of the beholder so they can. Say it. And behold it.) (I waffle) and continued until I stopped (painting – not waffling).

The wall where my paintings would go, should I hang them there, is yellow, so if they don’t match each other, they will certainly match the wall (and hopefully the bunch of bananas that I can place strategically underneath).

The first painting, which isn’t completely finished but I wanted to share, is called Oddly Aztec:

As you can see, it looks symmetrical, but the closer you look the more you notice how  unsymmetrical it is. And roughly freehand. It needs texturising, I feel, which may or may not make it look better. That remains to be seen.

The second painting, which again isn’t completely finished, is still wet. Well, it would be, as it’s called Eerily Atlantean. Based on Atlantis and not the Atlantean Ocean. Either way, there’s a water theme. And I am Piscean, just saying for added value.

Again, it isn’t meant to be symmetrical, which is good because it isn’t. The triangles are included on the fish-inspired shapes (they’re abstract, remember!) and the fact that there are nine of them, fish (-inspired shapes), which is a triangular number. The triangles are also represented by the bold stripes of colour, which in turn are meant to represent the Sun’s beams being dispersed beneath the waves. Being abstract, however, they are open to interpretation.

So, there we have it. Two abstract digital paintings, with two more to go. I wonder which ancient civilisation I will go to next? Find out in Part Two, later in the week!

(Oh and please visit the sites above… you’ll be glad that you did!)