My Rothko walls, part 2

[darkemeralds]

Turns out the color-meshing technique of wall painting is amazingly fast and easy.

Prep work is demanding because paint goes everywhere, and absolutely everything--floor, ceiling, trim, furniture--has to be masked and draped and taped off.

Cleanup is like any other latex-paint cleanup, multiplied by the number of cans of paint you're using. But there's only one brush and one lambs-wool pad. No rollers, no trays.

So while there were four hours of prep and cleanup, I only spent 45 minutes applying paint, and there's no second coat. It's a one-shot deal.






The colors I used

I sent a photo of my test section to my brother the artist, and he wrote back, "That's quite a color! In painting, black paint rarely ever works. It's too....black? Dead? I don't know, but when black is called for it's usually a mixture much like you have. One of the best "blacks" is alizarin crimson and thalo green. Deep and alive."

I was pleased to note that I'd intuited my way to just that: my red is very close to alizarin crimson and my green is in the thalo family.

I got about a quarter of the room done over the weekend, and I think I can finish in another big push.

Comments

[branchandroot]

Oh wow, that's a gorgeous blend.

[darkemeralds]

Thanks! I haven't had time to absorb it yet--I finished at twilight, and there's still a mass of green plastic sheeting taped around the place--but if first impressions the morning after are anything to go by, I think I like it.

[tehomet]

Seriously, that looks *amazing*.

[darkemeralds]

Thank you! Coming from someone with your color sense, that means a lot. :D

[jumpuphigh]

That's absolutely gorgeous.

[darkemeralds]

Thank you! I have to admit, I'm pretty impressed with the ratio of wild execution to controlled result.

[bluemeridian]

That's stunning!

[darkemeralds]

Thanks! I got another look at it after work today before dark, and I'm still pleased. Its appearance varies a lot in different lights--much more so than a single-color wall. It'll be interesting to observe it at leisure--maybe next weekend when I get the other three walls done and can move my sitting-around operations back into the living room.

[lamentables]

LOVE!
Also, fascinated.

[darkemeralds]

Thanks!

It's having a weird effect on me: I keep seeing similar sets of color-in-black all over the place now that I'm visually attuned to it. In filmed scenes, in the rainbow spray of a fountain downtown, and just in my mind's eye. It got under my skin somehow.

[ruric]

Looks really interesting! Hope to see more photos when you finish the room *G*

[darkemeralds]

It's a hard room to photograph because it's so small, but I'll certainly be giving it a try.

[vampirefan]

i love it!! it kinda looks pearl-ish... like the inside of a shell.

very cool!

[darkemeralds]

Oh, that's a great description! It does have a bit of that abalone-shell look to it. I hadn't thought of that.

Thanks!

[(Anonymous)]

bornof_sorrow here - that looks amazing. Brave and gorgeous, wow. I love Rothko x

[darkemeralds]

Brave. Cool! Thanks.

[sasha_feather]

That's beautiful!

[darkemeralds]

I've had these walls for almost two years now, and I still enjoy looking at them every day.