Art reflects life, one way or another. The uncertainty we're all experiencing right now reminds me of how our painting, too, can become uncertain and confusing when it loses harmony. It's no different from a musical instrument
being out of tune, something that can sour our senses in a flash.
Harmony in painting means everything is in tune with its light source. Just as sound frequency tunes a musical instrument, wave
lengths of light will tune a painting. The delivery of wave lengths from a light source causes whatever is lit by that source to be in harmonious light. To keep a painting harmonious, we use that principle.
Here's a chart showing those wavelengths of light in the visible spectrum.
In this photo, multicolored tulips are lit by bright sunlight. Even though we see various colors, they feel in harmony because they are all
under the same color of light. Another more scientific way to say it is that the same wave lengths are hitting everything we see there, in the 570ish wavelength range.
Next, we change the wave lengths to a more orange light, making them a bit longer. Still, everything is in
harmony.
We change the wave lengths again to a blue-violet range, considerably shortening them. The scene is still in
harmony.
But when we isolate the frontal yellow tulip and put it under a warmer light of longer lengths, leaving everything else in a
cooler shorter length waves of light, we throw it out of harmony.
AS LONG AS IT'S IN HARMONY, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BRILLIANT
To put it back into harmony, we simply add to its color the blue-violet light being received by its surroundings. We do that in painting, too.
WE'RE IN HARMONY WHEN WE'RE OKAY AS WE ARE
I remember back in the late sixties, reading and finding life-saving advice in Dr. Thomas Harris' little book entitled, I'm Okay, You're
Okay. I still remember from 50 years ago when I read it, each of us has within us the choice to be okay and to see others as okay, too. The light doesn't need to be brilliant--just harmonious. It just depends upon what kind of light we shine on the present moment.
Be safe! Be well! And find a creative and harmonious way to enjoy this special weekend!
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