Journey of Hope 2017: Color Study Flatlay
![A beaded wristlet in lavenders, pinks and blues, silver floral brooches and a burnished gold locket with floral detail, arranged with a burnished art-nouveau pin, a blown-glass and metal bead bracelet, a pewter-colored fan brooch, a jade heart pendant, an abalone shell bracelet, a daisy brooch, and a silver and mille-fleur heart pendant on a beaded necklace.](https://i0.wp.com/melanigrube.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/A-Portrait-in-Song-Flatlay-web.jpg?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1)
A color study in flatlay format for the painting for the Journey of Hope exhibit 2017.
As I went to put together the color study flat lay for this painting (for the Journey of Hope Art Exhibit 2017), I couldn’t come up with anything to use. I kept drawing a blank. What did I have that was the appropriate colors?
I soon realized that I wanted the objects to not just have the appropriate colors, but the appropriate attitude. It wasn’t just a matter of getting flowers, though there certainly are a lot of flowers in this piece. I soon came to an idea I had been subconsciously avoiding: jewelry.
I needed to look through the jewelry I have (and almost never wear) to find not just the right colors, but even more, the right ambience, maybe even the honor due the woman/magical-being pictured in the painting. Once I looked, I discovered the delicate, feminine expression I had been denying. I guess it’s time for me to take a deeper look at this denied aspect in my own psyche. It’s kind of tender there, you know?