Image Essay #15: Complementary Colors

This water colors painting is called "Appreciation Required" and was painted by Ellen Jean Diederich. Ellen is an artist whose artistic life began when she was nine when her older sister saw a picture that she drew of Bambi and encouraged her to become an artist. After then she began drawing portraits at public events. Ellen has a BFA degree in fine art and a BA in K-12 art education. Her hobby of gardening provides for most of her subject matter.

Originally I it was hard to figure out what color scheme Ellen has used for this painting. Then after looking at it longer I realized that it was complementary coloring. Complementary colors are hues that oppose one another on a color wheel; when juxtaposed, complementary colors create wonderful contrast; when mixed, they create a range of browns. Complementary colors are one of favorite color schemes that I use in my own work. I think I really liked this picture because of her use of complementary purple and yellow and the flower subject matter. I have a few art works that showcase flowers. One of them is even water colors, like this one. The main purple color key gives the overall picture a cooling and calming emotional effect. The accent color is yellow which creates nice contrast on the purple and also attracts emphasis on the middle of the blooming flower.