Above: Orange and Blue abstract
by John Dumergue
Many artists after placing a canvas on an easel find staring at a white canvas a daunting experience, and getting started is a challenge. Some will look at their tubes of paint and brushes, not necessarily to get started but as a distraction to having to put paint onto canvas.This Artist has even made a cup of tea to prolong starting a new work. But start you must, don’t be fearful, go for it !
Putting the first colour on can be scary, but once achieved, ‘BINGO’ you are now out of the starting blocks and heading in the right direction. Don’t rush to finish a painting, think of it like going on holiday, where you enjoy the journey rather than rushing to the destination.
Years ago my Kungfu Master gave me the same advice when I was always keen to grade for the next coloured belt. At the start of this year 2026 I decided to purchase two canvases larger than I usually use. Each were 40 X 40 inches or approx 1m X 1m square. The first one I used only two colours, blue and orange to keep it simple. These are opposite on the colour wheel so a fairly safe option. Using various shapes to create interest this work was completed in a very short time.
Having spent little time on this first one I felt disappointed it was over so quickly. So for the second canvas I was determined to make the joy of creating last longer. I was in the ‘happiness zone, the way art should feel for many hours over a few days. The photos in this article show the first painting, and three photos of the second one with the first colours used, then another with more colour’s added, and the third the completed work.
I did layers of paint, again using colours opposite on the colour wheel. On the darker colours like green I covered some of this with a lighter green. Next to green was red with the same principle, red and a lighter red. (red mixed with white). And for the blue and orange the same method was used.
At the finish, I was very happy with the outcome and had favourable comments from others. One comment summed up exactly how the colours were used: Quote:-
‘Yes, clever mix of push and pull’
Sarah Deans (Christchurch Artist)
