From lime to forest, grass to garden, green is the colour of summer and a favourite for anyone drawn to the calm and wisdom of nature. But there's one green that holds an intensely beautiful magic and that is the lush and luxurious Emerald.
For someone who has had a life-long love affair with colour, I must admit being late to the emerald party. It's a colour I’ve only recently started using in the studio and I can't believe I didn't embrace it sooner—talk about regrets! But as a colour that demands attention and holds a certain kind of power, I know I had to be ready and confident as an artist to take it on, come what may.
Ironically, I only started using it as a last resort on a big painting that had me in a complete tizzy. I had spent day after day with it, and nothing was working, but for some reason it was something I just couldn't give up on. Finally, I hit the “oh, fuck it” moment like never before, reached for my tub of Phthalo Green (ordered by mistake I must add—like I said, it wasn't used in my studio), and started absolutely slathering in on the canvas, not knowing what I was doing but really, really going for it. It didn't take long before everything before me was green, and I suddenly started seeing the power, magic and incredibly beauty of this rich colour. That painting became ‘Deep Woods’, one of my best and favourites ever.
You can read more about the journey of its creation here.
But where I've really fallen in love with Emerald is in my abstract work. It's my go-to colour when I want a jolt of energy through my heart, crave a boost of confidence, or need a kick in the pants to take a creative risk.
created as part of my 2022 'Detours' collection.
Emerald green can be astonishingly beautiful, deeply sophisticated and devilishly playful. It's a colour I can't live without, and hopefully, with a little help from me, you won't be able to either.
