I recently hosted the 'Purple' Workshop at the fabulous Queens Park Arts Centre in Aylesbury. This was the latest in a long line of 'Freedom in Painting' workshops around the country over the past 10 years, where a group of curious artists get together to investigate a niche of painting, responding to different genres, artists or colours over 2 days. The theme is often sourced in something happening in my own work or something seen, or, in this case, a theme suggested by the artists themselves.
Egon Schiele & Helen Frankenthaler
We began, as always, with a talk about the history of purple in painting, from its regal origins to the Purple explosion in the mid-nineteenth century and looking at purple in the work of the Impressionists, Klimpt & Schiele, Chagall, Georgia O'Keefe, Helen Frankenthaler Mark Rothko and contemporary artists. Purple is a brave colour to use: it's in nature of course, but can be extravagant, moody, exotic, nostalgic, spitriual. The artists were asked in advance to consider the question 'Why purple?' and bring in studies and ideas to develop into purple paintings.
Exercise 1: looking for contrast in purple - temperature, tone and transparency
A curiosity of purple is that a majority of ready made purples/violets are transparent colours as are most of the blues and reds used to mix strong purples. Our first exercise followed a colour-mixing demonstration: working on paper and outwards from a small central block of contrasting colour, the artists were asked to find/mix/apply purples looking for contrast in temperature, tone and transparency. The mystery of purple began to emerge! (above)
Exercise 2 - responding to words in purple Di Oldfield
The second exercise was more challenging. Working on a small canvas, the artists were asked to interpret a set of words into purple. Some of the artists worked in a methodical way, like Diane Oldfield above, others worked more expressively in their interpretations.
Just like society in the late nineteenth-century, after the discovery of Cobalt Violet, after the exercises 'Purplemania' gripped the room! The artists then began their purple paintings working from their own subject or developing the exercises further into painting. Each artist worked their own way in their exploration of purple, some working on a few pieces, others sticking to one or two. During the workshop there were further demonstations and individual tuition with all the artists. We ended the workshop, as always, with a group critique. I must congratulate the artists for working hard under extreme conditions - two of the hottest days of the year! What emerged was a fantastic set of paintings demonstrationg the mystery, extravagance and mystery of purple. Hats off to the artists!
Great to see the artists continuing their paintings back home (see Anna Badar below - more depth and energy - and myself!). I'm looking forward to hosting a 'Sandra Blow' in workshop in Aylesbury next year.
Early and final Version of Anna Badar's 'Trebawith Moon'
'Porthleven 102 (PURPLE - Dark Steps, Yellow Pier)' 35x45cms Ashley Hanson
'Thank you for a wonderful two day workshop- I was really inspired to continue with the theme of purple when I got back home'. KAREN MARTIN
'Thanks so much for the Purple course. I found it really interesting and learned about integrating purple into my work'. HAZEL CRAWFORD