Sunset colors painting with silhouette
Magenta is a color that is a bit rare in nature. That may be why it is especially captivating when we see it. Sunsets with a mix of reds and magentas and oranges create as powerful a mood as any painting can. So I decided to use this color mix with a simple silhouette to inspire the imagination of the viewer.
This painting is also an example of how versatile acrylics are in recovering from mistakes. This canvas originally held a painting that I didn’t like at all. So I sanded it down, and recovered with gesso. Then I laid a sunset theme that I liked, but hated the first silhouette. So I painted over that image and tried this one of the island.
The silhouette is not black, it is a dark desaturated third from to the dominant. In this case, a dark desaturated green to better compliment the light reds, orange-reds, and magentas.

Sunset Isle - Brian Kelly, 2008, acrylic on canvas board 14″ x 18″
- the Muse