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Working with a Restricted Palette

"Midsummer Dance" by Anders Zorn, 1897, restricted palette
“Midsummer Dance” by Anders Zorn, 1897 (via Watts Atelier of the Arts)

Lately I’ve been asking myself how far I can go simplifying color and still create a successful piece. Most of my work involves a limited palette, though the specific colors in that palette can vary from project to project. While glass is not paint, it’s interesting to explore from a painterly perspective how restricted a palette one can use in glass and still achieve an effective work of art.

Angelika Weingardt’s Chapel Glass Art

Chapel glass art for Frankfurt Airport by Angelika Weingardt
Chapel glass art for Frankfurt Airport by Angelika Weingardt (Photo: Zoey Braun)

Anyone who knows me, or who has been following this blog for any length of time, will be familiar with my interest in creating art glass installations for interfaith chapels and meditation rooms, largely in the realm of health care. 

Suspended Art Glass Panels at Lamar Institute of Technology

Suspended art glass panels at LIT
Suspended art glass panels at Lamar Institute of Technology, 2017 (photo: David Block)

Sometimes there is a long delay between the time a piece is completed and when it is professionally photographed. So, I’m pleased to finally share this photo of the suspended art glass panels I created for the Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) back in 2017.

What Led to One of the First Modern Color Systems

From A Nomenclature of Colors for Naturalists : And Compendium of Useful Knowledge for Ornithologists by Robert Ridgway, 1886 (via Hyperallergic/Boston Public Library/Wikimedia)

If you’re looking for some fascinating inspiration (or distraction) today, check out this 2016 piece from Hyperallergic about what led to one of the first modern color systems. 

Colorful Sculptures of Antiquity

The archer “Paris” from the West Pediment of Aphaia Temple
in Aigina, ca. 505–500 BC (image via Wikimedia)

When you think back to sculptures from Greek and Roman antiquity that you’ve seen in art history books or museums, you probably think of white marble (or maybe a kind of unremarkable light gray), right? The image above is a prime example.

But did you know most of these sculptures were once painted in vivid colors?  

Colorful Art Installation by Christopher Janney

Rendering of Harmonic Grove, by artist Christopher Janney, forthcoming at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital (image via WAFB9)

Anyone familiar with my work knows that I create installations for hospitals and other healthcare-related facilities; so I’m always interested to follow what other artists are doing in these settings. Recently, I was particularly intrigued to learn about this colorful art installation by the Massachusetts-based artist Christopher Janney, which is slated to open this fall at Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.