What is ‘5 Shades of Gray’?

“5 Shades of Gray”, 16×20 acrylic on canvas

Well, the title, ‘5 Shades of Gray’ certainly caught your attention, but there was a method behind my madness. Since I have so much time to paint these days, I find I am challenging myself with new techniques. “5 Shades of Gray” is an exercise in illusion. The challenge was to use only five shades of gray to complete the painting. I did that. Even so, some of the grays appear white; others are blue. In the end, all are gray…five shades of gray to be exact. You might have noticed from my other paintings that I love bright colors. Gray doesn’t exactly fit the bill, but that was another challenge….to paint something with a color I’m not fond of. What do you think?