Why Develop an Artistic Palette? An artistic palette is a set of colours that an artist uses in their work. It can be as simple as a few favorite colours, or as complex as a carefully curated selection of hues that work together to create a specific mood or atmosphere. There are many reasons why an artist might want to develop an artistic palette. For some, it is a way to create a consistent look and feel in their work. For others, it is a way to express their personal style or artistic vision. And for still others, it is a way to connect with their surroundings and evoke a sense of place in their art.
My own artistic palette has evolved over time, influenced by the diverse landscapes I've had the privilege to explore. At the start of my career I moved to New Zealand. The soft, cool hues of New Zealand's breathtaking mountains and lakes quickly found their way onto my canvas. In fact for over eight or more years I produced work in nothing but blue or grey! After I moved to Europe, tranquil greens and blues were introduced on occasion, but when I returned to Australia it was pretty clear the cool blues and greys just didn't match with what I was now seeing. Australia is a country of extremes, with sun-drenched coastlines, fiery red outback, lush rainforests, and parched bushland. I wanted my art to reflect that beauty and diversity. Gradually, I've been crafting a colour palette that encapsulates the spirit of my surroundings. I've incorporated the azure waves of the ocean, the soft blues of the sky, the fiery reds of the outback, and the vibrant greens of the rainforest. I've included the earthy tones of the bushland and the subtle hues found within the leaves of eucalyptus trees. As artists, we are constantly experimenting and refining our palettes, but I'm happy with the direction mine is headed in. I recently took a colour mixing class that has allowed me to explore new possibilities and deepen my understanding of the colours I use in my artwork.
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As an artist, I'm constantly drawn to the mesmerising beauty of water ripples. There's something magical about the intricate patterns and shapes that water creates, and I've made this a focus in my recent work.
Water ripples are the perfect subject for an artist, offering an endless array of shapes and forms to explore. With each body of water having its own unique characteristics, such as the size and shape of the water, the intensity and direction of the wind, and the presence of any objects in the water, water ripples can take on a countless number of forms. In still water, the ripples often appear as elegant concentric circles that radiate outwards from a central point. These circles can become distorted or elongated if there's a rock or other object creating a disturbance in the water. In rough water, such as in the ocean, the ripples can become more unpredictable, forming wild peaks and troughs that crash against each other. The interplay of light and water ripples creates stunning visual effects. As the ripples move, they reflect and refract light, creating a dynamic dance of colours and textures. Depending on the angle of the light source and the viewer, the ripples can appear to shimmer, sparkle, or even glow. As an artist, capturing the unique patterns and shapes of water ripples can be both challenging and rewarding. I'm happy to share my latest work but I'm far from done exploring this subject. So stay tuned for more pieces to come! This year I began a new body of work exploring visual snow disorder a little more and produced several works based on the dancing colours and shapes I see at night. Hopefully it will help raise awareness of the condition. So if you are finding this post by searching for visual snow, hi, I'm Jennifer and I'm an artist and designer based in Brisbane, Australia. I've had visual snow all my life. Some of my earliest childhood memories are watching the kaleidoscopic patterns of colourful dots at night to go to sleep. It’s all I’ve known.
If it wasn’t for a conversation in my early 20s I’d probably never have known how I see isn’t considered ‘normal’. I had a slight headache, someone asked if I was ok and I replied “the dots are a bit intense today”. That led to finding out the entire office didn't see dots! So when I got home I rang my mother and yes she could see the dots. I asked my dad, he didn’t know what we were talking about. I rang my sister and she didn’t know either. I rang my brother - yeah the dots what about them?! So at least I knew I wasn’t going mad which was lucky becasue when I mentioned it to a doctor they advised me not to tell people I was 'seeing things'! It also led to issues at work being a designer at the time. "How can you say that colour is ok if you see dots everywhere?" So I stopped trying to find out more. When my son came along in 2013 I had renewed interest in finding out what it was. For me lack of sleep makes visual snow symptoms far more intense and nothing like a new baby for sleep deprivation! It tuned out by then people actually knew what it was and it had a name. Ever since I was a child I had painted what I saw - colourful dots and lots of pattern in my art. Today my work is focused on pattern and visual perception. I paint very decorative abstracts with circles, dots and other patterns. I often refer to this as abstract pointillism. I distort photography by weaving images together and often end up with a lot of kaleidoscopic pieces. Being born with VS I am very used to the symptoms. I think you learnt to look through it a bit more growing up with it. Although some days it can be difficult I like to think of it as a hidden beauty only a few of us can see. I have started a facebook group for visual snow artists, creatives, designers so if you would like to join in you can find it here: visual snow artists on facebook. Six bold new paintings have been released as part of my continued outback desert aerial landscape body of work. The Australian outback is a rich tapestry of changing colours and patterns. Tiny dots of vegetation, wild flowers and shrubs, come and go or alter in shade with the seasons. You can view the all current desert landscape work here
With the Olympics starting in Japan it seems somehow fitting that my new additions to the Variegated collection ended up working so beautifully with Japandi decor style currently becoming very popular around the globe. ![]() Several paintings have been released as part of my Variegated collection looking at organic patterns found at the microscopic level in leaves. Using a soft white wax over board allows for the beautiful natural wood grain to show through. Finished on top with white detail and a scattering of cut paper in a mix of metallics and neutral tones. The calm, muted colours, focus on natural materials and organic shapes creates a Japandi style aesthetic. Japandi being a hybrid of Japanese and Scandinavian design, zen meets hygge if you like. At the heart of these works is the idea of embracing simplicity and celebrating the beauty of imperfections in nature, a core belief of wabi-sabi. You can view the whole set of new works currently under 'latest collection'
One of my favourite techniques in art is layering one colour on top of another to create optical mixing. That's when your eye and your brain mix together the colours that are placed next to each other in the painting. A slight change can produce dramatically different effects. These two paintings both have exactly the same colours in the background but one has a detail layer of peach, cream, green, while the other is in white using a slightly thicker paintbrush. Such a different feel. A happy, bright and bubbly start to the year with my first collection for 2021 - Beach Bubbles. Lots of lovely colourful works inspired by the beach and waves, the ocean and sand. Deep blues, soft pinks and some beautiful pops of turquoise.
I've been continuing to create abstract landscapes pieces suggestive of fields seen from the air, or topographical maps, using the language of lines and dashes I've been building up in my work. Four new paintings have been recently released in this body of work. Unyielding I and II, shown above, have sold but please contact me if you would like to discuss a commission.
This new collection is inspired by outback desert landscapes seen from the air, the scattering of vegetation is a combination of paint and embroidery.
The Australian outback is a rich tapestry of changing colours and patterns. Tiny dots of vegetation, wild flowers and shrubs, come and go or alter in shade with the seasons. |
AuthorJennifer is a contemporary Australian artist based in Brisbane, Queensland. Know for her highly decorative paintings and unique paper weavings, she explores pattern and visual perception, often highlighting the beauty in the ordinary. Categories
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