Linda Alred

I love color. Most of my work larger begins with a vision of one or two colors that are calling to me. I love the way colors interact to affect each other. How some colors make others look more intense, make them pop, or others seem to make their own hue dull as well as the one it is paired with. I am affected emotionally by color and use color symbolically in my work. It is exciting to me when I see a color in a work of art that I didn't expect. I like to experiment with that aspect. My favorite artists are ones who use color unexpectedly or to heighten the "feel" of a piece. I have always loved the drama created by artists using high contrast and I sometimes use it in my work. I also often use metallic paints for how they are changed by light as a person moves across in front of a painting. Color selection can make a painting breathe "so to speak." It can heighten a feeling of movement. It can make you feel light or heavy, emotionally. Color can convey a "mood." Sometimes it can express a message better than words, just as music can.