Midnight Blues

It was great fun playing with light and dark in this painting and using the bell of the saxophone to create a misty dramatically lit stage for my saxophone player. I really enjoyed creating the concept for this painting. I used the lyrics from the Gary Moore song Midnight Blues as my stepping stone. I know Gary plays the guitar not the saxophone but it was more the emotions in the lyrics that inspired me.

When the shadows fall
I feel the night closin' in
There must be some reason
For this mood I'm gettin' in

Can't get no sleep
Don't know what to do
I've got those midnight blues

It was a great excuse to use all the different blues and purples on my palette too.

Ona

Rhythm 'n' Blues

The saxophone dances the rhythm of her notes across the air and between these notes, our heart and soul beats to her sound.

The painting certainly provided challenges... Working with such a limited palette meant that the awareness of values was a very important key to the success of the painting. It also involved a play with warmth and coolness of colour, not just in the contrast between the golden yellows and the cool misty blues but also within the individual colour ranges. It's hard to see from the jpg (apologies for this) but the blues in the background warm up nearer to the source of the light and there is also graduation  between the warmer and cooler blues on the shirt, getting cooler as you move away from the saxophone. Lastly I had to battle with all the fiddly keys and levers on the saxophone to give the impression of reality but not too much so that it becomes the total sole focus of the painting. I wanted it instead to be more part of the whole... almost an extension of the person. The use of warmth in the hands and face mirroring the warmth in the saxophone hopefully helps with this too.

Ona