UNF Color Theory: Ten Letter Word: Color Schemes

This is the final rendering and design for this project. It's too bad the colors are so washed out in this photograph.

Rorshach Images (5"x7"), Acyla Gouache on Bristol Board, mounted on illustration board

The primary criticism was of the analogous painting (green one). I could have used a little more variety in the color selection. Overall, I was happy with the critique.

UNF Color Theory: 10-letter word: Color Schemes (Part II)

These are my final three studies for the project.

complementary

split complementary

quadratic

The acrylic colors for the complementary and split complementary are pretty accurate, but the colors for the quadratic are washed out. They are actually mostly highly saturated.

Now I have to paint the final pieces in acryla gouache.

UNF Color Theory: 10-letter word: Color Schemes

This is the beginning of my work on our new project. My word is 'configuration'. One of its meanings refers to Gestalt Psychology, which led me to the Rorschach Test.

These are studies for my monochromatic color scheme.

I used pastel pencils for the first study, color pencils for the second two, and acrylic paint for the fourth study.

These are studies for my analogous color scheme.

I used color pencils for the first two studies and acrylic for the third.

I doubt the final color schemes will look exactly as the ones in acrylic do, but they should be close. I still have three more studies to work on.

UNF Color Theory: Color Exploration

This is the completed project.

The main negative criticisms were that the painting wasn't completely smooth is some areas, the shark should have been larger, and some of the color requirements were a little off. I'm not sure the shark needs to be larger, but the other two criticisms are valid. The main positive criticisms was the overall design was good, the layout was clean and ordered, and some of the colors were smooth.

UNF Color Theory: Color Wheel

This is my version of the color wheel for our class presentation today.

The weakest elements are in the greens. I need to push the tertiary greens more towards their immediate neighbors. Of course, I had problems with the violets, as did most everyone.

UNF Color Theory: Introduction

These posts under UNF Color Theory are related to the art class I'm taking at the University of North Florida with Professor Raymond Gaddy. It was suggested that we all use Wordpress, but I already have this blog and do not want to get involved in another one, although it looks pretty easy to set up one with Wordpress. I may change my mind later if this one doesn't work well.

I've already posted a number of times on this blog about my art work and UNF and some of my professors. So, this is just a continuation of that theme. You can find various names under 'labels' if you wish.

The class blog site is Gaddy in 2D.

This is a recent painting of mine. The photo quality is poor. I need a better camera.

French Quarter, New Orleans
acrylic on paper
approximately 14.5 x 10.5

A Eulogy For My Father Ernest E. Hughes

I've had the sad experience for the past few weeks of my father's dying and death. He finally died on March 20, 2014. (see obituary here) I had the honor of leading his memorial service, which included testimonials by several other people and the playing of taps and the presentation of the United States flag to my mother by the United States Marine Corps. I'd like to share with you and the world my address at his service.

My father was a rugged individualist who did things his way and, for the most part, did them himself.

Born in rural, depression-era Jamestown, North Carolina, he had a rocky relationship with his father, running away from home more than once.

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941, my father wanted to fight, and enlisted at age seventeen, with his parents' consent, even though he had two brothers already enlisted and fighting.

After the war, with an 8th grade, and no doubt, being from the deep south, deficient education, he set about supporting a family, raising two children, and putting them both through college.

After educating his children, he earned his GED and was a member of the first graduating class at the University of North Florida.

His achievements are considerable, especially based on from where he came. He was a warrior for his country, a hard worker for his family, who managed to retire early and obtain his college degree and to use his know-how to buy, sell, and lease real estate.

My father was the bravest man I've ever known. He was absolutely fearless. No one pushed him around. Yet, at the same time, he was a most considerate person. He would help anyone in any way he could. Few know it, but he was a blood donor all his life, giving a pint of blood every opportunity that he could. He once told me, "Most people don't donate blood, but they expect it to be there when they need it." He wasn't that kind of a person. He was a giver, not a taker.

In his final years, he did not, as Dylan Thomas wrote, "Go gentle into that good night" but he "Raged, raged against the dying of the light."

A victim over the years of several types of cancer and heart problems, he never gave up on life, recovering over and over again, until his body finally gave out. And when it did, he died at 3:40 in the morning with my mother, his wife of 68 years, holding one hand, and the nurse, a complete stranger, holding his other hand. And that's as it should be. At his moment of death, he was comforted by his wife, who knew him best, and by a stranger, who didn't know him at all, but who may have benefited from his generosity at some point in her life.

Having a meaningful life means different things to different people. But, if living up to your own beliefs has anything to do with it, his life was meaningful in the most meaningful way.

Everyone who benefited from his life, friends, family, and strangers alike, will miss him, more than he'll ever know.

What it's like being a retiree taking college classes with teenagers.

I'm into my second year of art classes (I take one class a semester; this is my third class) at the University of North Florida. The first two classes (Drawing I and Drawing II) were taken in the evenings, and I was not the only older person enrolled in them, so I didn't feel out of place. But this class (Two Dimensional Design) is a day class, and I'm the only older person in it. Even the instructor Laura Colomb is much younger than me. This is the first class in which I've felt out of place.

I'm pretty amazed by the young people around me. Some of them are clueless about their lives, like elementary school children. They are smart. The requirements for enrolling at UNF are stiff. Yet, some of them seem like they'd rather be doing something else, like texting on their i-phones. Some of them miss classes or don't do the required work. When the teacher says that, if you miss the class critique you're automatically dropped two letter grades on the assignment, and several of the students don't show up, I wonder why. They probably didn't do the assignments and stayed away. Some of these students just don't have their priorities in the proper order.

Some of these students are pretty darn good artists already. Seriously, they don't need this elementary art class, but it's a requirement (I think) for the program. It's a good class. It's foundational to the various art majors. Maybe some of the students are bored by it (but none of them seem bored). Some of the students seem to have trouble staying awake. I think back to my college years and wonder if I was so sleepy in my classes. Maybe they're overwhelmed by the amount of work they have to do in all their classes. Or maybe they're tired from staying up late partying.

I had quite a bit of interaction with the students in the first two classes. In this class, I've tried to strike up conversation with one or two of them. It just doesn't go very far. They talk to each other okay. But I think they see me as an outsider. I don't think they object to me being there. They are friendly all the time. But what can we possibly have in common? Of course, we have the art class in common, and we do discuss our art work to some degree. But that's about it.

Here's the thing, though, because I'm so much older than them, I feel that I should be a model student. I want to mentor them in some way. I want to reach out to them and help them. Of course, most of them do not need my help. But maybe one or two I could help. But, we don't talk. So I pretty much stick to myself and my work. Maybe that's the way it should be.