Earlier this week I talked a bit about creating art in a series. I’d like to talk a bit more today about one of the series that I mentioned in that post—my “Elementals” series.

I created the “Elementals” with the intention of exploring color and texture within the framework of the four (western) elements: fire, water, air, and earth. I decided there would be three pieces for each element, each piece would be on the same size canvas, and the pieces for an element would use the same color palette. I also wanted to title each piece with the name of a mythological creature.  The exact title was generally chosen after the piece was completed since the exact form of each wasn’t specified in advance—the processes I used to create the pieces weren’t really conducive to pre-defined layouts of shape and color.

I started with the fire pieces: Dragon, Phoenix, and Firebird. These were done in red, oranges, and yellows and as you can see, the textures and designs are quite varied. The water pieces—Hydra, Kelpie, and Kraken—were done in blue-green tones while the air pieces—Pixie, Griffin, and Harpy—were done in blues and whites. The earth pieces—Golem, Satyr, and The Green Man—were done in browns and greens. I also tried to bring in texture that suited the element when possible—feathers for Griffin or the lacy, airy fabric for Harpy, for example, or the rough, earthy burlap of Satyr and the moss and pinecones in The Green Man.

This series was about exploring how I viewed the colors and textures I associated with the four elements, my feelings behind them, rather than attempting to create predefined physical representation of the elements.

Tell me about a series you’ve worked on or have planned. I’d love to hear about it!