Sarah Graham

Question 1

The way Graham uses colour

Answer 1

• Graham has used bright, vibrant colours that give connotations of fun and happiness.
• Graham has used a cool sky blue for the background which contrasts with the many warm colours used for the sweets spilling out the jar – red, orange, pinks and yellows – which makes the sweets stand out

Question 2

The use of tone in Mayhem

Answer 2

• The use of well blended tone gives a highly realistic photographic finish to the painting.
• The strong contrast of highlights and darker tones and shadows in the sweets help to create an illusion of depth and contribute to the photorealism of the piece

Question 3

The use of shape/form

Answer 3

• The use of a variety of simplistic shapes – spheres, cylinders and cuboids – allows the viewer to focus on the intricate details and tones of the painting.
• Graham has used a full tonal range to accurately depict the three- dimensional forms of the sweets.

Question 4

The use of line

Answer 4

• The diagonal lines of the lolly pop sticks creates a leading line which leads the viewers eye from the lollies in the jar in the background towards the cluster of sweets in the foreground.
• A strong vertical line is created by the packet of parma violets in centre- left of the painting which stretches from the cluster of sweets back into the jar in the background leading the viewers eyes across the painting.

Question 5

The use of texture

Answer 5

• The use of strong bold highlights helps to show the glossy smooth texture of the sweets.
• The oil paint is carefully blended, leaving the canvas with a smooth texture and producing a photographic finish.

Question 6

The use of pattern

Answer 6

• The repeated use of spherical shapes creates a pattern which is visually eye catching
• Graham has included some of the bold patterns of the sweet wrappers – stripes and dots – which help to create the fun and playful mood

Question 7

Subject matter/imagery

Answer 7

• Graham has used a selection of sweets including lollies, flying saucers and parma violets – the sort you get at children’s parties or from trick or treating. This creates a sense of nostalgia and evokes childhood memories.
• The large scale, brightly coloured sweets create a fun and lively subject matter which create a happy and joyful mood.

Question 8

Composition or arrangement

Answer 8

• Graham has positioned the jar on its side at the back-left hand corner of the canvas with the sweets spilling out into the middleground and the foreground of canvas. This helps to create the illusion of depth.
• There is one sweet to the front right of the painting which is the only orange sweet in the painting. This makes it stand out from the complementary colour of the blue background and creates a
focal point.
• The sweets spilling out the jar leads the viewer’s eye from the foreground to the background of the painting.
• A very busy and chaotic composition helps to create the idea of ‘mayhem’ as suggested by the title of the painting.

Question 9

Style

Answer 9

• Photorealistic style – the painting looks like a photograph as it’s been painted so realistically.
• The bright vibrant colours and use of sweets as the subject matter help to create a mood of nostalgia and evokes the idea of childhood memories

Question 10

Scale

Answer 10

• 80cm x 120cm
• The large size of the painting combined with the zoomed in composition
makes the objects larger than life adding to the visual impact of the
piece.
• The objects are accurately proportioned, adding to the realism of the
piece.

Question 11

Media handling techniques

Answer 11

• Graham has used oil on canvas as this takes a long time to dry, allowing her to gradually build up colour and tone to create a highly realistic painting.
• The paint has been applied smoothly and seamlessly creating a photorealistic effect.
• The brushstrokes are carefully and precisely blended creating a flawless finish to the painting.
• Graham used a camera to capture the objects blurring out of focus. She took hundreds of photos to decide on the right composition. Then she would work from her photos with the paints to carefully recreate the blurring out of focus

Question 12

Mood and atmosphere

Answer 12

• The bright, vibrant colours used in the painting create a happy and joyful mood.
• The use of sweets as the subject matter creates a sense of nostalgia and evokes childhood memories as these are sweets that were common to have as a child as parties or on Halloween.
• The large scale, brightly coloured sweets create a fun and lively atmosphere and a sense of fun.