Crimson, buttercup, emerald, slate, cocoa
bean… I’ve always been drawn to colour, in what I wear, how I decorate and especially
when writing. I love the richness and joy colour brings, both visually and
through words on the page. I’ve been known, when travelling, to collect paint
colour charts. An unusual souvenir but they’re great reference aids
when my creative mojo goes walkabout. I flick through their pages
savouring exotic names that roll off the tongue - prairie peach, climbing vine,
cheetah spots, young banana - soon those ideas are coursing again.
And so I look forward to what has become an
annual treat when I meet my friend, K in one of our favourite places to visit -
the seaside town of Broughty Ferry, near Dundee. As well as enjoying K’s
company, a hearty lunch followed by ice cream and a stroll along the beach, one
of the things I most look forward to is browsing the Eduardo Alessandro Studio,
which showcases Scottish contemporary art. So what has all this to do with
writing?
 |
| Artwork by Jack Morrocco |
Well K is a keen amateur painter who knows
her stuff, introducing me to the street café scenes of Jack Morrocco, the
clean lines of fine artist and children’s illustrator, Dan Crisp along with the
quirky designs of Gail Stirling Robertson. When browsing
alone I tend to be quite simple in taste, drawn to exhibits brightest in colour,
instinctively knowing what I like and what leaves me cold - but perhaps not
understanding why. And it’s the ‘why’ K helps explain as we appreciate paintings
together, providing a brief lesson in art.
First, the artist must select the palette
to be used for colour scheme and harmony, choosing opposites on the colour
wheel, which are pleasing to the eye. It’s also important to re-use colours to
unify a painting, for example, when using a certain shade of blue in the sky to
use it again in the foreground. On examining canvases carefully I found this
was so – noticing the soft blush of nectarine in a snow scene or vivid mauve in
the swell of the sea. And it struck me the same is true for writers when
considering character development. Conflict – essential to fiction writing –
works best when the protagonist and their opponent are opposite in nature. When
characters are too alike then writing lacks, well – a bit of colour.
 |
| Artwork by Gail Stirling Robertson |
My art lesson continues. The second
decision a landscape artist must make is where to place the horizon, either
above or below the mid point, avoiding dead centre, which most find too harsh. And
so it is with fiction writing when selecting point of view – deciding whose
story should be told, which character’s voice will grab the reader best, pulling
them in. Of course in writing we have the luxury of being able to tell the
story from a number of viewpoints, but they must all draw the reader towards
the same final scene.
Finally, K explains the skills required
when using different medium in art. My friend is a water colourist, one of the
most difficult forms of painting, requiring a light touch and
patience, as work must dry before the artist can continue. Unlike say the
bold, layered strokes of an oil painter, who enjoys more freedom to experiment, adapting their designs. Again, this made me think of the plethora of skills
required when writing– the imagery of poetry, restrictive length of a short story or novella, the need for pacing
in a novel. Skills at least two members of our Novel Points of View blog team
have shown in spades this week. Congratulations to Lesley Cookman on
publication of ‘Murder Dancing’, the 16th in the Libby Sarjeant
crime series and to Gill Stewart, writing as Gillian Villiers, on publication
of ‘As Time Goes By’, the 4th novella in a collection set in the
Scottish Highlands.
And so back to Broughty Ferry - and after a
pleasant hour in the gallery with K, I understand more of what it must be like to stand in an artist's shoes. But then isn’t that one of the
things that makes a great friend? - Someone to learn from, adding colour to life.
