I see light tan and greyish blue, soft greenish yellow and warm orange. Reddish brown for the hair and shadow. Soft violet for the neck and light blue on the back. Pinkish tan for the infant. Beige for the seat. Bluish purple and greyish pink for the background. You thought this fresco had faded? There is still a lot of colour.

Which colours do you see? Your mind tells you that wood is brown or grey, but which colours would you choose to make a blend? I see pink and tan. I would use ochre, pink and grey for mixing and use dark grey for the cracks in the wood. There is beautiful sea-green, with blue-green spots and even a tiny bit of yellow on the edge. So, this is about pink and green? Largely, but to put these colours together you need to have patience. Time has bleached the wood! No, colours change, they don’t die.

I notice so many colours in perfect tune. See the orange-sepia at the top of the head, move down to her eye and see the soft terra-cotta. The eye looks black, with green and soft red. I see grey at the eye brows and deep red in the nostrils. Her dangling hair is grey, green, blue as well as red- brown. Her dress comes close to greenish-yellow and her skin is tan in her face and chest. Just enough black to suggest depth, and enough ‘white’ to suggest light. So much beauty in one sketch by Da Vinci.

Notice the light on the hand that makes it come alive with almost warmth radiating. See how the tan-orange colour of the statue and background give the chest, arm and hand a feeling of a real human, while the soft blue reminds us it is a statute. Orange and blue are complementary colours, they offer balance. In this photo they confuse and enchant us. Notice too the dark blue praying rosary that offer a clever contrast with the soft orange.

Paula

P.S. I have no idea who took the four photos because they were posted on Pinterest before the time Pinterest ensured all uploaded pictures kept their links to their original source. I regret not be able to give credit to the owners of these lovely photos. I hope one day they will add a comment to this post that links their work back to their website or blog.

Paula Kuitenbrouwer sells exquisite fine art cards of her drawings as well as reproductions, and of some drawings smaller business-, gift- or mummy-cards. See Purchase in the header for what is available as well as the price list. In case you like to commission Paula, contact her at mindfuldrawing@gmail.com