Undertone - 36"x36" framed

Size: 36x36 // framed

Inspiration: 

When I was a kid my father owned a wallpaper store. So needless to say, when we moved in the 80s to a new home with bare walls - there was a lot of wallpapering involved. My mother picked all the patterns, including the delicate small floral print that went on my bedroom walls. I desperately wanted a Victorian rose stripe, but I can see now that it would’ve looked insane on all four walls of my larger-than-average bedroom with vaulted ceilings. 

I lived with her perfectly pretty choices until I was a teenager and insisted that I should get to decorate my room in something I loved. She agreed, but instead of tearing down her lovely small print I moved into the guest room which still had bare walls and picked a bold paisley that I had fallen in love with. My mom liked the pattern, but said it wouldn't work because the wallpaper had cool undertones and our cream walls and beige carpet had warm golden undertones. I had no idea what she was talking about, thought it would look great, and convinced my dad to make it happen. When it was installed I loved it, even when my mom politely smiled and declined to comment. 

Undertones weren’t a thing I really understood until I became an artist. Every neutral color has undertones that bend it toward green, blue, pink, yellow or purple. And as little as I cared about them as a teenager, I am obsessed with them now. It’s one of the reasons I love working with neutrals - there are so many colors hidden within those whites and grays and browns. And as an adult I can totally see my mom’s point - the paisley’s undertones did not look great with the paint and carpet.

This piece is pretty neutral, but has some cool blue undertones, and the swatch of blue in the bottom makes me nostalgic for the one color my mom included in every wallpaper print she chose for our home. And yes, all her undertones were on point.

Details: This is a framed mixed media painting on a 1.5" gallery wrapped canvas. The simple float frame is made from unfinished maple. This piece is titled and signed on the back and will arrive wired and ready to hang. 

Shipping: I currently ship standard to the continental US and Canada only. If you live outside these areas please contact me to see if shipping to you is possible. Each painting is shipped out of my studio in Alameda, CA within 2 weeks of the purchase date.

If you'd like to arrange to pick up your art from my studio in Alameda, CA enter code STUDIOPICKUP at checkout for free shipping.