About This Style
Colour Field is built the way a exhibition poster is built. The head is large and commanding, the eyes sit on the upper third line, and behind it is one perfectly even field of deep saturated colour with no gradient, no shadow, no horizon and no second shape.
Flattening the background to a single tone does something specific: it turns the animal into a graphic. The silhouette of the ears, the line of the muzzle and the colour of the coat stop being incidental details of a photograph and start being the composition. It is the most contemporary thing we make, and the one that looks least like a pet portrait from across a room.
It is also the most forgiving of interiors. A classical oil portrait needs a wall that can carry it. A flat field of teal or ochre behaves like a piece of modern art, which means it works over a desk, in a hallway, in a rented flat with white walls, or in a room where nothing else is traditional.
Short coated animals with strong outlines read most sharply, though long coats produce a softer, more painterly edge against the flat colour that is just as good and slightly warmer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I choose the background colour?
Yes. Note the colour you want in the order comments and we will build the field around it. If you leave it to us we choose a tone that sets off your pet's coat rather than competing with it, which usually means a deep saturated colour on the opposite side of the wheel from their fur.
Does this style work for cats?
Very well. The flat field suits a cat's strong head shape and ear silhouette, and it avoids the problem of a cat looking swamped by an elaborate historical setting. It is one of the styles we recommend most often for cats.
Can I order two in different colours as a pair?
Yes, and it is one of the more popular ways to buy this style. Two pets, each on their own field, in colours chosen to sit beside each other, hung as a pair. Order one portrait per pet and note in the comments that they are a set so we choose the two tones together rather than separately.