Linda Mann Artist

    I was looking at Style.com recently, and saw these images of Dries Van Noten’s fall collection. I was struck by the colors. I wondered if I could use them in a painting. This is unusual for me, as I usually begin my compositions working with form and value relationships. Color, of course, is always present in my work, but it’s not usually my starting point. My first challenge was to find items that I owned in these colors. It seems that most of my props are in the brown, ochre, gray and burnt sienna families. Pink was the hardest. I’m not a pink person. Dark green was difficult, too. All I could find were some old books. (The book in the photo is actually green, not blue!) Also, just because something is the right color, does not at all mean that it’s the right shape. This is, I think. the greatest difficulty of starting with color. Of course, I could always paint something any color I want, but I really like to see the correct colors in front of me. I don’t mind making small adjustments away from reality, but any large change in color is hard to fake. Next, I’ll finalize my composition, do a drawing, then a value study, and finally begin painting.