Welcome to

The Painting Lesson

by Linda Carson

big black pig studio
98 King St. N., Waterloo Ontario Canada
www.bigblackpig.com

Monochrome versus Polychrome

An image that's monochrome—from "mono" meaning "one" and "chroma" meaning "colour"—includes just one colour (and its many tints and shades). The black-and-white photographs we see in the newspaper are monochrome.

Sheep in the Mist; acrylic on hardboard; 6 inches X almost 6 inches; Carson 2002

For example: The sheep and its surroundings are painted entirely in tints and shades of Payne's Gray.

An image doesn't have to be shades of gray to be monochrome. Any single colour will do.

If we alter Sheep in the Mist it's still monochrome.

For example: If I make the same picture pink, it's still monochrome.

These example paintings also feature monochrome palettes:

Topiary; acrylic on hardboard; 6 inches X 6 inches; Carson 2002 After Rothko; acrylic on hardboard; 6 inches X 6 inches; Carson 2002 Green Ground; encaustic on hardboard; 6 inches X 6 inches; Carson 2002

I'm sure the word collectors are eager to know, "What's the opposite of monochrome?" If an image includes lots of colours, it's polychrome—"poly" means "many."

These example paintings feature polychrome palettes:

Cherries; acrylic on hardboard; 6 inches X 6 inches; Carson 2002 Nest; acrylic on hardboard; 6 inches X 6 inches; Carson 2002 Test pattern; acrylic on hardboard; 6 inches X 6 inches; Carson 2002

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Art & Text (C) Linda Carson 2002

Loosely translated, that means:
"Please don't copy this material or redistribute it in some other form, for any reason. This is my livelihood."