the optical mixing of color

Placing small bits of color close to each other allows the viewer’s eye to mingle them, a sort of ˝optical mixing.˝ This technique, also called ˝pointillism,˝ was made popular by the French Impressionists and is still being used by pastelists today. The advantage of this method is the purity of the color and the shimmering quality that can be achieved.

October Morning
12" × 18" (30cm × 46cm) by Tom DeCleene

letting the viewer’s eye do the work
Artist Tom DeCleene places pure colors on the paper, using small marks close together, and the viewer’s eye creates the color. This painting is a good example of this technique.

making many look like one
In this closeup of Tom DeCleene’s painting, it’s clear that what appears to be a solid color is actually a number of colors placed side by side.

Exuberance
9" × 14" (23cm × 36cm) by Ruth Summer

using small dots of color
Artist Ruth Summer works in a pointillist fashion—the entire painting is composed of small dots of color, placed near each other and visually blending when the viewer sees them at a distance. This painting uses the pointillist method to capture the exciting color in these flowers in Ireland.