The Cat with the Mona Lisa smile

Mr Whiskers by Ruby
Acrylic on Canvas
2018

My youngest student Ruby has been working on a painting of her cat, Mr Whiskers, for the past month. 

This painting explores colour theory and she choose complimentary opposites on the colour wheel (orange and blue) to understand how placing a cold colour next to a warm colour makes some things recede whilst other parts of the painting pop out. 

The distinction between warm and cool colours has been important since at least the late 18th century. The contrast is related to the observed contrast in landscape light, between the warm colours associated with daylight or sunset, and the cool colours associated with a grey or overcast day. Warm colours are often said to be hues from red through yellow, browns and tans included; cool colours are often said to be the hues from blue green through blue violet, most greys included. 

Many artists use this to lead the eye around the canvas and give their paintings depth. For example, Vincent van Gogh used this technique often in paintings often using bright blues next to clear yellows for vibrancy.