In painting, the addition of color onto solid forms moves them away from the ambiguity of a black and white drawing. Now dependent on the intensity or subtlety of the coloring, wholly new moods and atmospheres are created. In addition, a drawing often times has a little more “airy” quality to it, whereas the paintings appear to have more solidity and weight.
I love working with the juxtaposition of artificial and natural light and the points where the two light sources merge. I get this wonderful and often times strange color that I wouldn’t get from either source alone. In Storm, the model was underlit by red artificial light and his hands and feet were exposed to indirect natural lighting. Optically, that created a very odd, grayed-out acid green on the palms of the model’s hands and soles of his feet, which suited the atmosphere I was trying to create.
People respond to color emotionally. I direct the viewer to see my world when I’m doing any kind of artwork, so the more color and detail elements I add, the more I influence the viewer to see in a particular way. That said, when a piece is most successful, it still maintains an enigmatic quality of content or form, which allows viewers to bring their own experiences to it.
