Yellows, browns, reds and blues usually dominate the color palettes of those working with earthy tones. As abstract art shifts away from realism, the early 20th century saw an art movement that relied on using color and shape to portray the subject matter. The expression of the artist finds a home in this movement, conveying emotion or capturing the determination of the artist to capture a moment. If you look closely at the ochres and browns that have come to define earthly tones, the viewer will note tinges of red, blue and yellow. The primary colors are used by abstract artists such as Mondrian to render the two-dimensional and highlight the simplicity of color and shapes. But if you start mixing them, the brown hues (that can border on murky) are found within works by Francoise Dugourd-Caput and Barry Rafuse. Rafuse even notes that his use of often primary and brilliant colors are as a result of being drawn to nature's designs and land form. And as he moves towards the abstraction of these elements, they blend within his works using the power of the two-dimensional to powerfully depict the world around us.
