Yellow and Violet! by Louise Naimian

You've risen to the challenge again Louise, excellent! I am going to give the burnt umber and yellow ochre a go today, not my usual choice of colours but then that is what a challenge is all about!

Burnt umber and yellow ochre? Well. good luck....

I think these work well together, the violet gives the shadows.

I agree with Stephen, it is a nice combination of colours

You have to grit your teeth though when starting out with these two colours, they feel so wrong!

Very very effective, Louise! Love the figures merging into the shadows, very dramatic!

I would echo Seok's comments, particularly re the figures merging into the shadows. They lend an air of mystery to the painting.

See? It DOES work.... but I quite agree with Louise, it feels all wrong when you start; truth is though that any complementaties will give a result, and a range of darks. The one we're all familiar with is French Ultramarine and Burnt Sienna (complementaries in the sense that Burnt Sienna is an orange, not just a braahn) but there are many more to be tried; and if you want to mix lively greys, it's very useful to master them.

Great combination Louise and a very effective result!

Superb atmosphere with this one Louise. Interesting to only use two colours. Might be interesting to use a third colour - either red or green, to see what happens?

I think you are very brave, Louise, to take up this particular challenge. I just posted the Sienna and Umber one. Maybe I try this Yellow and Violet one too. You impressed me with your result!

Not sure I like the colours together but I do like your loose and juicy approach

Wouldn't know were to start Louise, good result and it does have a sinister feel to it.

Thank you all for your interesting comments on this unusual colour combination. I'm undecided, but am always happy to try these things out and perhaps learn something along the way. I'm not exactly sure what I've learned except that violet and yellow can look rather daunting when squeezed out on to the palette..

These really are two very difficult colours to work with together, but you have tackled the challenge with your usual aplomb and come up with a really good painting. I have to say that I found the alizarin/viridian pretty dire to do and I can't see me trying this one. I think I am missing the point of trying to produce a painting using just two colours when there are so many wonderful colours out there just begging to be tried out. I like the challenges, but would prefer something a little less constraining - any ideas?

It is constraining Thea but I always like to stretch myself and try things out. I know by now what I can and can't do so I get pleasure and a certain excitement when faced with something which at first glance seems impossible. I mean, violet and yellow, they sit uncomfortably together on the palette and I just have to see what the result is when used together like this. Also, as he whole thing took about half an hour, I haven't lost anything and gained some satisfaction from the result.

Well, I hadn't seen Robert's challenge but this caught my eye immediately. I love these colours together ( I seem to be in a minority here) . There's definitely an atmosphere to this little painting but your style of painting may have more to do with this.

I always get confused with colours such as Raw Sienna, Burnt Umber and so on - I just cant work out how some of these colours are made (what colours make them up) and if they are biased towards a complimentary colour. Tackling a painting using complimentary colours is extremely difficult as well as they don't really complement each other (more like repulse each other) so hats off to you Louise for trying this and I think succeeding by managing to make them work together.

Thank you Marjorie. Robert suggested this on the forum page. Joseph, my technical knowledge of colour is virtually nil but I like to think that I know which colours work well together. I think it's more instinctive, too much knowledge can be inhibiting, for me anyway. I tend not to worry which colours should or shouldn't work. I see colour wheels, charts etc and wonder how a person can paint anything when trying to keep to the 'rules'!!

Love this colour combination Louise.

Thanks Carole!