Whiteley - "The Balcony 2"

Instead of looking primarily at color, for this art challenge I wanted to look a little more laterally for inspiration. Except with this piece, sorta ^^ On the page Sal linked to about the piece Whiteley's comment on the pigment itself is what really struck me:

'Windsor and Newton Deep Ultramarine oil colour has an obsessive, ecstasy-like effect upon my nervous system quite unlike any other colour.'

From a painting perspective, Ultramarine is my least used blue yet it's in my palette just the same because it's currently my only cool blue. I know maaaaany painters love this pigment but it definitely doesn't grab me the same way! I almost always opt for Cobalt instead; eventually I'd like to replace PV29 (ultramarine) with PB60 (indigo) which is much darker, though I'll probably still have a tube of ultramarine because I use it to pre-mix my preferred gray.

From a fashion perspective, I don't really wear this shade of vivid blue so instead I decided to focus on the colors that give me the same feeling Whiteley describes.

Color 1: Vivid red-orange. I will stop and check ANY item in this color, regardless of style or cut or fabrication, because it is my moooooost favorite. I did a quick count and found that roughly 10% of my wardrobe is this color or slight variation of (!). This color is tops for me regardless of season or trends and I don't expect that to ever change.

Color 2: Pale pink. This is my current trendy color crush. I've bought way too many pink things this season! Quick check clocks this color in at around 6-8% of wardrobe (yeesh, that happened quickly). I don't know if this will pass in time but it's been building for a while now, so it might end up sticking long term along with the orange.

And yet.... Today was too warm to wear either outfit and so I ended up with a deep blue just the same. I guess there's always room in the palette for Ultramarine This deeper, darker shade of blue is more up my alley (it's a bit darker than in my photos) and I was very happy and comfortable in this new dress. I will definitely be wearing the other two outfits on cooler days, though!

I thought this piece would be the toughest of the challenge, but love how all three outfits turned out. Most of all, though, thinking on this specific piece inspired to pull my paints back out after several months not feeling like painting. I think might be the best thing to come from this challenge for me <3

Comments, critiques, thoughts and questions welcome!