Wrangling colour contrasts

I don’t think I’ve ever struggled with colour relationships in an artwork as much as I have with this artwork…

Three sets of complementary colours and high contrasts in value and saturation has made for a lot of clashing, awkwardness, tension, and energy!

Colours bringing out the worst and the best in each other, fighting for attention, sulking in the corner, changing attitude completely when a new tone is brought into the conversation, saying something completely different depending on which colours are talking to each other…

And then - after a lot of patient observing, negotiating, and giving and taking - seeing them, finally, finding their places and settling into a harmony together. Which seems very fitting considering the theme of this artwork which I’m creating for an open call is “family”. Ha!