Challenge 100: What Have I Missed?

Challenge 100, December 26, 2014

Challenge Hostess: Tobi Hoffman and 49 others

Title:  What have I missed?

Theme:  Finding the best of the past challenges

Technique:  Any

Due date:  January 3, 2015 – or whenever you finish!

The Fast Friday Fabric Challenge started back in September 2006, and our final challenge presents a time for a retrospective.  There is no member who has done and posted every challenge, so for this one hundredth challenge, I ask everyone to look back through the previous 99, and select a theme from one challenge and a technique from another – or combine themes and techniques from several of them, as many as you want, and whatever parts from any of the challenges that you want.  We all have learned to use various aspects that have enhanced our work, both for these challenges and for other projects, and I hope it has been an enjoyable and profitable experience.

Feel free also to look through all that has been posted – but be warned that this is eye candy that consists of 1820 published posts (including this one, of course).  100 are the challenges themselves, and 5 are “how to post” instructions, but that leaves 1715 pieces of art!  While you’re at it, feel free to add critiques for those that catch your eye.

And while this may be the final challenge, if you ever feel to come back for something further to do, this one is always open for you!

Resources:

http://tinyurl.com/FFFC-100 - the link to all the challenges.  Because most of the challenges themselves contain links, and because it would make no sense to do so, I am not including any other links.

And one more thing: have fun with this! :) 

Challenge 99: Ambience

Challenge Hostess: Susan Slesinger

Title: Ambience

Theme: Creating atmosphere

Technique: Use of color to achieve atmosphere/ambiance

Due Date: Dec. 6, 2014

Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary provides five definitions of the noun “atmosphere.”  The fifth definition is pertinent to this challenge:

                        5a “the overall aesthetic effect of a work of art”

                        5b “a dominant emotional aesthetic or emotional effect or appeal”

It defines “ambience” as “a surrounding or pervading atmosphere”

This month’s challenge is to try to create an “atmosphere” or ambience using color to suggest a season, time of day, or mood without making obvious references to it.  You may want to give yourself a “sub” challenge to use a palette which is different to your normal repertoire.  For example, if you usually use bright, bold colors, try using a pastel, soft palette instead.  If you want an analogy for what you are trying to create, think about film scores.  Music is often used to create the scene in a non-verbal manner, such as the shower scene in Hitchcock’s Psycho.  I encourage you to try to listen to some instrumental film music without watching the film.

To get yourself in the mood for creating an atmospheric piece, you might choose to listen to some “classical” music which is trying to set a scene through non-representational means.  If you have access to a streaming music site you will get much better recordings, but if not, these You-tube videos will give you a taste of atmospheric/descriptive music.  (I recommend listening without watching the picture!)

Resources:

Vivaldi The Four Seasons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRxofEmo3HA

Ligeti’s Atmosphere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI0P1NnUFxc  

Penderecki Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima

Examples:

How painters have created ambience:

Marc Chagall

·          Over the Town http://www.wikiart.org/en/marc-chagall/over-the-town-1918

·          Over Vitebsk http://www.ago.net/marc-chagall

JMW Turner watercolors:

 http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2009/jan/13/jmw-turner-watercolours

Willard Leroy Metcalf Winter’s Festival http://art.famsf.org/willard-leroy-metcalf/winters-festival-4753

Joseph Raphael Spring Winds http://art.famsf.org/joseph-raphael/spring-winds-41765

This article from the Chicago Art Institute illustrates how Monet created different atmospheres in his  Stack of Wheat series through subtle changes in color and style. http://www.artic.edu/aic/resources/resource/380

In the quilt world, these are some examples of different ways of expressing ambience:

Barbara Oliver Hartman:  

·          Fallscape  http://www.barbaraoliverhartman.com/individual_quilt_pages/fallscape.htm

·          Ground  http://www.barbaraoliverhartman.com/individual_quilt_pages/ground.htm

·          Ground Work http://www.barbaraoliverhartman.com/individual_quilt_pages/ground_work.htm

Ruth Powers

·          Drifted http://www.ruthpowersartquilts.com/gallery-detail.php?ID=20

·          Konza Prairie Spring http://www.ruthpowersartquilts.com/gallery-detail.php?ID=3

·          In the Bleak Midwinter http://www.ruthpowersartquilts.com/gallery-detail.php?ID=13

Patty Hawkins

·          Colorado Gold http://www.pattyhawkins.com/Pages/Gallery1.html  (part way down page).  Also At Dusk and At Sunrise (nearer bottom of page)

Cat Larrea

·          Frost http://larreac.fineartstudioonline.com/workszoom/1173242

Sue Benner

·          Prairie Wall Series and Walking in Time http://www.suebenner.com/Pages/GalleryRecentWork.html

Get out of your comfort zone and have some fun with this -- even if you have to work small!

Challenge 98: Word Play

Challenge Hostess: Tobi Hoffman     

Title: Word Play

Theme: Alphabet Soup, letters as artistic elements

Technique: Any

Due date: Nov. 1, 2014

Do you have a favorite word, one that just tickles your mind, maybe with its sound, maybe its meaning?  Do you remember as a child taking a word and repeating it so many times that it seemed like a nonsense word?  Is there a word that others might apply to you, whether because you use it so often, or just seems the perfect one to describe yourself?  Or maybe you’re a punster, getting joy out of a play on words, or enjoy crossword puzzles, especially the tricky kinds.  The challenge this month is to use words in your quilt to create your picture.  Use color to accentuate the mood.

Resources:

Wordle: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/8257311/Word_Play created from the initial paragraph by yours truly

“Word Play Quilts” (check out the 16 pictures from the book):

http://tinyurl.com/FFFC98-1 or

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1604680172/ref=as_sl_pd_tf_lc?tag=lazgalqui-20&camp=213381&creative=390973&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=1604680172&adid=19DA8VSB4FNA4NH350P6&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Flazygalquilting.blogspot.com%2F

 And its author, Tonya Ricucci: http://www.pinterest.com/tonyaricucci/

Quilt Dad: http://www.quiltdad.com/2009/06/happy-free-pieced-words.html

Tammy Johnson, author of “Alphabet Soup: Expressive Quilts with Folk Art Charm” http://tinyurl.com/FFFC98-2 or

http://www.amazon.com/Alphabet-Soup-Expressive-Quilts-Folk-Art/dp/1564776212

and some samples:

http://tinyurl.com/FFFC98-3 or

https://www.google.com/search?q=Tammy+Johnson+art+quilts&rlz=1C1KMZB_enUS587US587&es_sm=122&biw=1171&bih=860&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=lk9JVJqzNo7msATp1IKwDQ&ved=0CDgQsAQ

And one more thing: have fun with this! :)

Challenge #97: Barcode Art

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge 97, September 26, 2014

Challenge Hostess: Meena Schaldenbrand

Title: Barcode Inspiration

Theme:  Use of barcodes

Technique: High contrast fun

Due date: October 4, 2014

Barcodes are composed of black and white thick and thin lines on many purchased products. UPC barcodes use strong lines. QR barcodes use geometric shapes.

For challenge # 97, use barcodes to create high contrast fiber art. 

What do bar codes mean?   UPC is short for Universal Product Code, 12-digit barcode which allows retailers to manage sales of a product. UPC codes are valid in the United States and Canada.  EAN codes are a 13-digit barcodes valid in all other countries. 

Barcode explanations:
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/collages/diagram/index.html

QR codes (Quick Response codes) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code

Quilts:

http://livelovequilt.blogspot.com/2012/07/qr-barcode-quilt.html

http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=QR%20bar%20codes

Other Art Examples:

Barcode Gallery:  http://www.cnet.com/news/barcode-gallery-qr-codes-become-wall-art/#

Turning them into art: Scott Blake
http://theinspirationgrid.com/barcode-art-by-scott-blake/
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/collages/index.html
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/videos/index.html
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/index.html

12 Coolest Works of Barcode Art by Grace Murano
http://www.oddee.com/item_96851.aspx

Art in Aisle 5: Barcodes Enter Expressionist Period

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303823104576391973120779678
or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC97-1

Variations on barcodes: http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/barcode-art
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/funky-barcodes-spice-up-packaging-ii

Art barcode graffiti
https://www.google.com/search?q=bar+code+art&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=2FETVKXvCs2uyASCsoHIDg&ved=0CEYQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=578#tbm=isch&q=art%20barcode%20graffiti&revid=2125053464&imgdii=_
or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC97-2 

Barcode "Clock"
http://www.barcodeart.com/artwork/clocks/barcode/index.html

Free download of decorative font

http://www.1001fonts.com/barcode-font-font.html

A Fast Friday Fabric challenge based on the barcode http://meenaschaldenbrand.blogspot.com/2013/12/just-when-caterpillar-thought-world-was.html  or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC97-3

And one more thing -- have fun with this!

Challenge #96: September Holidays

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge 96, August 22, 2014

Challenge Hostess: Catherine Lewis

Title:  September Holidays

Theme:  Celebrate a Holiday!

Technique:  Any

Due date:  Aug. 30, 2014

Theme:

"Congratulations! You have been chosen to create a poster for one of the holidays celebrated during the month of September.  Browse through the lists and when you see a holiday that catches your eye, tugs at your heart or simply tickles your funny bone, let your imagination and creativity loose to run wild.  

Techniques:

Anything goes for this challenge! Use bright colors or somber, an abstract design or a very realistic one.  Let the "mood" of the holiday you chose tell you in which direction to go, no matter how quirky that direction may be! You may choose any holiday that you like, whether it's a monthly, weekly or daily observance. All I ask is that it grabs the viewer's attention and truly represents the meaning of the holiday. 

Words are optional on your poster, if you can convey the meaning of the holiday without them, that's fine, although I would be interested in seeing unique ways to add them if you choose to do so.

The only real requirement for this challenge is that you have fun doing it!

Resources:

A list of normal and not so normal holidays may be found here:
http://www.brownielocks.com/september.html

and also here:
http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/september.htm

As you may imagine, it is a bit hard to find art or quilts to serve as inspiration for this challenge, but I have found a few to share with you. Of course these are all not so fast quilts to make, but they are just to inspire! 

This would be great for Read a Book Day...you'll need to scroll down to see it, the second quilt: 

http://aliceslookingglassblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/festival-part-one.html  or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC96-1

Global Warming quilt:

http://beadlust.blogspot.com/2009/11/dees-over-at-works-in-progress-reminded.html or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC96-2.

Alzheimer's Awareness art quilt: http://shelburnemuseum.org/webMedia//2010/05/Quilt-Sylvia-A-Lifes-Journey.jpg or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC96-3.

This would be good art to use for National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day: http://caroljosefiak.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-7-2014-this-is-last-painting-in-my.html or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC96-4,

And if none of the September “holidays” appeal to you, make up your own!

And one more thing: have fun with this! :)

Challenge #95: Running with Scissors

Challenge Hostess:  Lisa White Reber

Title:  Running with Scissors

Theme:  A quilt inspired by paper cutouts, like those by Matisse

Technique:  Applique is the most obvious. Can  you do it with piecing? Free-form?

Due date:  August 1, 2014

Theme:

Did you like cutting out paper doll chains when you or your relatives were little? Remember cutting out paper snowflakes or five-pointed stars? Have you seen Scherenschnitte? All of these are design resources for this month’s challenge.

[Note for our quiltart members: this challenge was written up shortly before the recent Facebook discussion and the creation of the “Running with Scissors” blog that began as a blog entitled “Friends of Quiltart”.  I debated changing this challenge name, but couldn’t decide on anything better.  And after all, this came first! – Tobi]

Resources:

Quilts:

A FFFC challenge piece: http://www.tobicollage.com/collages-2010/happy-dance.htm

http://fastfridayquilts.blogspot.com/2014/06/monets-rex-begonia.html This is really Matisse, but I had a brain cramp when I first posted, and can’t change the hyperlink.

Results of a Google image search for Hawaiian Applique:

https://www.google.com/search?q=hawaiian+applique&rlz=1C1CHAF_enUS438US439&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=QzC8U5CwHaeksQTS-4GADw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg&biw=1295&bih=683 or http://tinyurl.com/nplpdjk

Applique with Folded Cutwork by Anita Shackelford (http://www.amazon.com/Applique-Folded-Cutwork-Anita-Shackelford/dp/1574327232)

Papercuts and Plenty by Elly Sienkiewicz (http://www.amazon.com/Papercuts-Plenty-Baltimore-Beauties-Beyond/dp/0914881906)

Non-quilt work:

http://www.henri-matisse.net/cut_outs.html

http://www.pinterest.com/explore/paper-cutouts/

Results of a Google image search: https://www.google.com/search?site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1295&bih=683&q=matisse+cutouts&oq=matisse+cutouts&gs_l=img.3..0l10.3257.5620.0.5891.15.9.0.1.1.0.417.1270.2-1j2j1.4.0....0...1ac.1.48.img..10.5.1277.j6KG8JDzrjY&gws_rd=ssl or http://tinyurl.com/ol8sdd7

How to fold a 5-pointed star: http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagstar.html

One blog by a Scherenschnitte artist: http://papercutting.blogspot.com/

And one more thing: have fun with this! :)

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge #94: The Call for Entry

An early start this week – enjoy!

Fast Friday Fabric Challenge #94: June 27, 2014

Challenge Hostess:   Karen Markley

Title:                     The Call for Entry

Theme:                Any Call for Entry not yet passed

Technique:         Any called for in the Call

Due date:            Saturday, July 5^th at noon EST

We’ve all seen them – the Call for Entry.   Some have acted on them and some have not.  Most of us are intimidated by them; we want to enter, but we think on it until the deadline has passed.  Or, we start and it isn’t going the way we like, so we abandon it.

Many artists work instinctively – a one-shot deal – starting with an idea and working on it until it is done.  Good or bad.  But, the best thing to do is a little planning – no surprises – a mockup of ideas that tells us what the finished product will be.

So, that said – I have listed several resources of current calls.  Pick one – make a small piece in the format of the Call – square, rectangular, portrait or landscape.  Don’t focus on technique as much as on the design – make notes on possible embellishments, techniques that might enhance the finished product, but don’t necessarily do them.  Once done and posted, consider seriously moving forward and making that finished product for entry.

References:

To get an idea how one artist starts working on a new piece, see the process employed by Swiss Artist, Ursula Kern:  http://fileunderfiber.blogspot.com/2011/04/ursula-kern-fabric-collage.html -  

The best list of current calls is on the SAQA website.  You do not have to be a SAQA member to enter many of these calls, but it is worth the price of membership to be able to.  http://www.saqa.com/calendar.php?ID=9 

Cherrywood Fabrics is having a challenge called Wicked, after the Musical – For a $35 entry fee they will provide you with 4 fat quarters of their luscious hand-dyed fabrics to use in your entry. http://cherrywoodfabrics.bigcartel.com/product/wicked-started-kit   or http://tinyurl.com/FFFC94-1

Keepsake Quilting has information on their challenge here: http://www.keepsakequilting.com/productdetail/4152/-------CREATE-A-STRIP-PIECED-KEEPSAKE-CHALLENGE-COLLECTION.htm or  http://tinyurl.com/FFFC94-2

The Hoffman Challenge is one that you may see at quilt shows, with numerous categories: http://www.hoffmanchallenge.com/challenge2014.html

There should be more than enough on these websites to get your head spinning with ideas, but feel  free to search for others.  Make it your goal to enter at least one of these this year.

And one more thing: have fun with this! :)

Challenge 93: The Colour Purple

Host: Pat Findlay

Title: The Colour Purple

Theme: Exploring colour theory

Technique: Use of the Colour Wheel

Due date: May 31, 2014

Did you know that purple was the colour chosen to represent the Suffragette Movement?  Or that Feminism adopted purple, as a theme colour, in honour of that association? 

The challenge will be to create a piece that uses the colour purple in a symbolic way. 

Technique:  use the colour wheel to create a specific colour arrangement,( i.e.complementary. analogous, split complement etc.) one  that must  include the colour purple.  Tell us a bit of how you decided which colours to use, and how the symbolism associated with the colour purple influenced your choice.

Resources:

Symbolism and psychology surrounding the colour purple. Everything  you ever wanted to know about the colour purple, and more:  http://tinyurl.com/FFFC93-1 or  http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-meaning-symbolism-psychology/all-about-the-color-purple-4329#.UrObEPRDsw4         

The Color Purple: Understand Its Hidden Meaning for Art & Design: http://tinyurl.com/FFFC93-2 or www.finearttips.com/2010/09the-color-purple-understand-its-hidden-meaning-for-art-design

A quick reference of the use of purple in fashion and art since the Renaissance: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/purple#the_middle_ages_and-the-renaissance 

Symbolism associated with the colour purple:  www.colormatters.com/purple 

How to use a colour wheel: http://tinyurl.com/FFFC93-3 or tympanus.net/codrops/2012/02/28/principles-of-color-and-the-color-wheel

The Many Meanings of Violet / Purple: http://www.color-wheel-artist.com/meanings-of-violet.html

Examples of purple in art work:

Monet: http://tinyurl.com/FFFC93-4 or http://fineartamerica.com/featured/a-pathway-in-monets-garden-giverny-claude-monet.html

The Purple Cat -- quilted art work: http://stegart.blogspot.com/2010/07/purple-cat.html

Quilts and Color: http://tinyurl.com/FFFC93-5 or http://www.mfa.org/exhibitions/quilts-and-color?gclid=COWzj_nuv74CFdF9OgodsSYAOA

And one more thing: have fun with this! :)

Challenge 92: Aspiration

Challenge Host: Tobi Hoffman

Title:  Aspiration

Theme: Illustrate your goals

Technique: Limited palette

Due date: May 3, 2014

Aspiration

Definitions: 

1)       a hope or ambition of achieving something.  “He had nothing tangible to back up his literary aspirations”

Synonyms: desire, hope, dream, wish, longing, yearning

2)      (medicine) the action or process of drawing breath.

Theme:

How do you show your highest ideals, your greatest triumphs?  How can you stretch yourself to achieve what is deepest in your heart, to fulfill your deepest yearnings?  Let your quilt this month express these.

If possible, before you start work on this, sit down in some quiet place and meditate for 15-20 minutes on the seed idea of aspiration, and without trying to force an idea, see what comes.  Then write down any thoughts and develop them in your quilt.  Remember that the word “aspiration” also relates to breath; in your meditation, keep your breath deep, slow and even, but after the first few breaths, do not focus on it.

One note on this: aspiration need not be linked to religious belief.  You may choose to embody the guidance of your religion, but aspiration is not limited to the religious.

Technique:  Restrict your colors to three that go with your thoughts on your ideals.  This is not an absolute ban on other colors; if they are a minor part of the fabrics, let them in!

Resources:

Aspiration through art:

A lengthy article – you may or may not agree with him, but it gives food for thought.

http://www.newenglishreview.org/David_Hamilton/Aspiration_through_Art/

Aspiration/Inspiration

http://wassaicproject.org/exhibitions/2009-2/aspirationinspiration-2009/

Quotes about Aspiration

http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/aspiration

Art:

Deborah Corsini

http://quiltnationalartists.com/category/education/

I am deliberately including only the one actual art reference, as your aspirations are yours, by definition, and your inspiration will come from you and not others!

And one more thing: have fun with this! :)

Challenge 91: Art in the Gray Scale

Challenge Hostess: Karen Markley

Theme:  Non-representational

Due:  April 5, 2014

Technique:  Piecing - Take the challenge and see if you can piece completely your little quilt. Quilters like Ruth McCormick and Judy Dales have proven that even the most complex design can be pieced.  I know it is easy just to fuse things, but it will give you a nice feeling of accomplishment if you can see each piece together.  However, this is a design challenge and some of us just don't have the time.

Have you ever made a quilt, and when it was finished, you wished you had put some of the colors in different places, that they were brighter or more subdued?  If you had been able to audition your fabrics, or make a mockup first, you might have been able to avoid these disappointments.

The gray scale is the foundation of all color choices. Photographers use it as well as artists.  And not just with black and white photography. If you understand value, you can translate any level of the grey scale to colored fabric.  We’ve all studied black and white photographs and wonder at the pictures that capture our attention:  it’s the contrast between black and white that gives the picture sparkle.  The same is true for the old movies and early television – if they wanted to portray a dull, depressing mood, they chose very narrow parameters.  “Value or tonal contrast creates visual interest or excitement. … A low key painting is one in which the tonal range is narrower.”

If you choose a range of fabrics for a quilt and arrange them on the copy machine, you get a range of grays that tell you if there is going to be enough contrast. 

References and Samples:

Grace Errea teaches a great class on value.   if you go to her website, and click on workshops, she has a nifty chart with the grey scale on the left and all of the colors that correspond with every level - purples, greens, etc.   She also sells a little value tool that is invaluable in choosing your fabrics.  If you look at her quilts, you will see that value is a key element in their success.

www.amazingquiltsbygrace.com

Piet Mondrian, a Dutch painter, was the creator of non-representational art.  Except for his cubist period, he always used color in his paintings, but started with a white canvas and added bold lines.  A few of his paintings show at least 3 gradations from black to white.

Mondrian's book on Neo-Plasticism became one of the key documents of abstract art.  In it, he detailed his vision of artistic expression in which "plastic" simply referred to the action of forms and colors on the surface of the canvas as a new method for representing modern reality.

http://www.theartstory.org/artist-mondrian-piet.htm

  

Meaning in Nonrepresentational Art - http://tinyurl.com/FFFC91-1 or https://www.boundless.com/art-history/thinking-and-talking-about-art/content/meaning-in-nonrepresentational-art/

Gray Scale and Value Finder - BLICK art materials –

 www.dickblick.com/products/gray-scale-and-value-finder

What Gray Scale Means in Painting -- Art Glossary Definition:  http://painting.about.com/od/artglossaryg/g/defgrayscale.htm

Grayscale art on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=grayscale%20art

Grayscale Art for Sale - Fine Art America: http://fineartamerica.com/art/paintings/grayscale/all

Grayscale quilts: http://tinyurl.com/FFFC91-2 or 

https://www.google.com/searchq=grayscale+quilts&hl=en&qscrl=1&rlz=1T4LENP_enUS577US577&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=UKAvU5uwA8iy2gXkkIHoCw&ved=0CDgQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=611

Even though a lot of the artists of that period used black and white, coupled with primary colors, we can attempt to recreate the abstract while still using a variety of values instead of just bold colors.

And one more thing: have fun with this!

Challenge #90, February 28, 2014

Hostess: Cheryl Casker

Title: Hurry, Spring!

Theme: Interpret the gift of life (Spring) that rises from the death (Winter) that came before it

Technique: Impressionism incorporating broken color theory that depicts the subtle play of light and shadow

Due date:  March 8, 2014

Having set a historical record for the most snow in one month in January in the state of Michigan (as well as others), we are more than just a bit winter-weary and anxiously look forward to the exquisite flora and fauna that Spring gifts us with each year. 

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!

            ~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Yesterday the twig was brown and bare;
To-day the glint of green is there;
Tomorrow will be leaflets spare;
I know no thing so wondrous fair,
No miracle so strangely rare.
I wonder what will next be there!
            ~L.H. Bailey

  

Color As Light

Impressionism was a new style of painting that emerged in France at the end of the 19th century. The Impressionist artists were interested in trying to capture the changing effects of light on the landscape by using a more exact analysis of tone and color. Their ideas were inspired by Eugene Chevreul's scientific research into color theory.

The Impressionist artists abandoned the old idea that the shadow of an object was made up from the color of the object with some brown or black added. Instead, they enlivened their canvases with the new idea that the shadow of any color could be mixed from pure hues and broken up with its opposite color.  For example, the shadow on a yellow surface could have some strokes of lilac painted into it to increase its vitality.

As the Impressionists had to work quickly to capture the fleeting effects of light, they had to sacrifice some of the traditional qualities of outline and detail. http://www.artyfactory.com/color_theory/color_theory_1.htm

Broken Color

http://www.larrymoorestudios.com/broken-color/

Role of Colour in Impressionism

http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=43792 

Characteristics of American Impressionism

http://www.flogris.org/learning/foxchase/html/about_impressionism.php 

Resources:

Claude Monet (French, 1840-1926)

 “When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you, a tree, a house, a field or whatever. Merely think here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape, until it gives you own naïve impression of the scene before you.”

Snow at Argenteuil, 1875

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_at_Argenteuil 

The Water Lilies (series), 1899-1920

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Lilies

Garten at Giverney, 1902

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Monet_-_Garten_in_Giverny.jpg

Garden Path at Giverny, 1902

http://www.claude-monet.com/giverny.jsp

Camille Pissarro (French, 1830–1903)

The Garden of the Tuileries on a Spring Morning, 1899

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1992.103.3 

Fields: http://www.camille-pissarro.org/Fields.html

Gelée Blanche (Hoarfrost), 1873:  http://artchive.com/artchive/P/pissarro/frost.jpg.html

Snow Effect at Eragny, 1894: http://www.camille-pissarro.org/Snow-Effect-at-Eragny,-1894.html

L'Hermitage, 1868  (scroll down to #7):  http://camillepisarro.blogspot.com/

Rye Fields at Pontoise, 1868 (3rd painting down): http://camillepisarro.blogspot.com/

  

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French 1841–1919 )

“No shadow is black. It always has a color. Nature knows only colors … white and black are not colors.”

Boating on the Seine, 1879

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/boating-on-the-seine-pierre-auguste-renoir.html

Two Sisters, 1881

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Renoir_-_The_Two_Sisters,_On_the_Terrace.jpg

And one final note – have fun with this!