The Start, the Finish and Everything In-between

Harley Brown’s fascinating things no one else will tell you

When starting one of my works, I get connected to the paper by scribbling on it a medium neutral warm color. What happens next? I start to work on the area that first grabbed my interest. Yes, with a portrait, I am beginning with the eyes and nose. But also, when hands are prevalent, I work them at the same time as face. I did a fellow playing the saxophone and that instrument came first and soon attached his mouth and face to it. I don’t get into real details until coming to the finish.

All else in my art piece radiates from the center of interest. I surely put in general background areas near the beginning, connecting subject with background and laying out overall design. Plus, I have the joy of laying in colors that I might let stay or mute later. In a nutshell, it is the subject that I can’t wait to “immortalize.”

When Rethinking Color 

Start with a simple “palette.” Red, yellow and blue, along with black and white. The green from mixing the blue and yellow will go well with both those blues and yellows in the painting. Sort of like a child of two parents, being connected to both. The same goes with orange and purple and all the varieties of pinks and turquoises—a joy to the eye. If using a larger palette, one can add a few colors into these and still have a good visual connection with the hues. It is like people with different personalities belonging to the same club.