From Sanzo Wada to Utsuroi: How Color Combinations Became Paintings

COLOR RESEARCH · JORDY KOUMANS

From Book Page to Painting

Sanzo Wada and the Creation of Utsuroi

⏱️ 8-minute read

A few areas of color on a book page. Sometimes that is all that is needed to start seeing things differently.

Sanzo Wada’s A Dictionary of Color Combinations gave me a starting point for the color palettes of Utsuroi. In my paintings Asayake, Kokage and Yoru no Yuki, I translate those combinations into exterior surfaces and soft color transitions. The colors from the book are the inspiration; the composition and the associations with morning glow, shelter and snow in the night are my own translation.

That translation does not come from simply selecting colors. I apply them, combine them and build up my geometric paintings on panel from many thin layers. Even colors that you ultimately do not see separately remain part of the work. It is precisely those underlying layers that give it depth and bring it to life for me.

For my collection Utsuroi | Light in Transition, the book played an important role alongside my fascination with Japan and nature. Not as a recipe I had to follow exactly, but as a collection of encounters: what happens when this red is placed next to that green? How does a light shade change in the vicinity of black?

I am Jordy Koumans, the artist behind KOJO Art. In my studio in Carré in Tilburg, I create abstract paintings in which color and composition come together to evoke an atmosphere. Here I place three palettes from Wada’s book next to my own work. Not every area of color remains the same. It is precisely the difference between the book and the painting that tells something about my translation.

This article contains affiliate links to Athenaeum Scheltema. If you order through one of these links, I may receive a commission.

THE STARTING POINT

How Sanzo Wada inspired my Utsuroi paintings

For me, Utsuroi is about transitions. The first warmth of the morning, the shelter under a tree, snow that still glows in the dark. I do not paint those moments as recognizable landscapes. I look for colors that can carry something of their atmosphere.

Wada’s color combinations help me to look beyond a single beautiful shade. A color is never entirely on its own. The area next to it helps determine whether it appears warm, cool, bright or restrained. On the book page, I see the colors side by side. In my paintings, they take on different proportions, a different scale and space to transition into one another.

IN MY STUDIO

How I build up color: geometry, masking tape and many thin layers

Choosing a color combination is different from making a painting. The areas in the book are placed next to each other. On my panel, the colors receive not only a place, but also a history. I apply them, combine them and build on what is already there.

A geometric foundation on panel

I work geometrically on panel and use a lot of masking tape. With it, I define the boundaries of my areas and give the composition its precise structure. The clear edges provide a sense of control. Within that geometry, space is created for softer transitions and nuances that cannot be captured at a single glance.

That tension is part of these works: a clear form on the outside, with colors inside that are less strictly defined. Masking is therefore not just a practical step. It helps me determine where one area ends and where another color is given space.

The colors you do not see directly also play a part

My paintings emerge from many thin layers. I do not only use the colors that you ultimately recognize on the surface. There are also other colors underneath. They may no longer be identifiable as separate areas, but they are part of the build-up.

Those underlying colors give the works depth for me and bring them to life. What you see is not one final color that replaces everything before it. It is a whole that has emerged from many layers. The visible shades also carry something of what lies beneath.

That is why a palette comparison only tells part of the story. Wada’s combinations show where my color research begins. They do not show all the colors that end up on the panel during the painting process. Between the inspiration and the final work lies the application, combining and building up of paint.

That is the connection to Utsuroi for me. The transition is not only in the subject or in the progression between two visible colors. It is also in the creative process: a work gains its character from everything that accumulates layer by layer on the panel.

The designed palette comparisons below are digital illustrations based on my book photos and product images, not scans of the book. The colors are approximations. The original product photo is always shown separately next to the text. Via the source link, you can view my original book photo.

Discover Asayake →

From Two Areas of Color to Slowly Changing Light

In combination 014, Naples Yellow and Spinel Red are placed next to each other. The colors are clearly separated, but share a warmth. That combination is in Asayake, my painting about the morning glow.

In the work, the red is not just a strip next to another color. It becomes an enveloping exterior surface. Within it, an elongated field emerges in which warm yellow, pink and earthy nuances move closer together.

Where Wada shows two bounded areas, my painting lets the encounter between the colors last longer. The transition is given space. That fits the moment I am exploring with Asayake: the night has only just woken and the light is beginning to give warmth to the world.

View my original book photo of combination 014 →

Discover Kokage →

The Peace Under the Canopy

For Kokage, this combination belongs to the story: Olive Buff, Carmine Red and Chromium Green. A light olive-yellow shade, carmine red and muted green. The red brings warmth between the two green tones.

In my painting, the muted olive green takes on the role of the exterior surface. The center contains warmer reddish-brown and soft pink nuances. The colors do not remain as three separate blocks next to each other. They form an environment for each other, with transitions that connect one shade with the other.

Kokage refers to the shadow under a tree. For me, that encounter between green and warm earthy tones fits shelter. Not a literally painted canopy, but the peace underneath. The green gives the composition control, while the warmer center prevents the work from becoming only cool or distant.

View my original book photo of the Kokage palette →

Discover Yoru no Yuki →

The Warmth Between Black and Ivory

For Yoru no Yuki, combination 190 is the starting point: Black, English Red and Ivory Buff. Black and light ivory form a clear contrast, with an earthy red color in between.

In the painting, the encounter between light and dark is most directly visible. A charcoal-black exterior surface envelops the elongated center. Within it, light, warm nuances gradually shift toward dark. The English red from the book does not return as an equally large, separate red area. The warmth of the combination takes on a much more restrained character in the painting.

Yoru no Yuki means snow in the night. With this work, I am not looking for a white snowfield, but for the small bit of light that remains visible when the darkness takes over the surroundings. The warmth between black and ivory makes the contrast softer and less harsh for me.

View my original book photo → It is the bottom combination on the left page.

FROM INSPIRATION TO MY OWN WORK

From Areas of Color to Light in Transition

These three works show why a book of color combinations can inspire so much. It does not give me a subject that I have to repaint. It offers relationships between colors. What I do with them emerges in my own composition and in the atmosphere I want to evoke.

On paper, the areas are bounded. In my paintings in acrylic paint on panel, the transitions take on a leading role. An exterior surface holds the work together. Within that frame, a color can slowly change, brighten or disappear. The many thin layers, also with colors that remain beneath the surface, make that build-up richer than a comparison of two color samples can show.

This is where my interest in Japanese nature and my exploration of color come together. Wada contributed to the creation of Utsuroi by encouraging me to look at color combinations differently. The translation into morning glow, shelter and snow at night then emerges in my own creative process, layer by layer.

MORE ABOUT COLOR

Frequently asked questions about Sanzo Wada and Utsuroi

Which color combination did you use for Asayake?

Asayake is associated with combination 014 from A Dictionary of Color Combinations: Naples Yellow and Spinel Red. In my painting, I translate that warmth into a coral-red outer surface and soft color transitions in the center.

Which colors from Wada’s book belong to Kokage?

Olive Buff, Carmine Red and Chromium Green. In Kokage, muted olive green and warmer pink-brown nuances come together.

Which palette belongs to Yoru no Yuki?

Combination 190 with Black, English Red and Ivory Buff. In my original book photo, that is the bottom combination on the left page.

How do you make the geometric paintings on panel?

I use a lot of masking tape to define my areas and build the painting up from many thin layers of paint. I do not only select the colors, but apply them and blend them together. This creates space within the geometric structure for soft color transitions.

Do you also use colors that are not visible in the final result?

Yes. Beneath the colors you recognize on the surface, there are also other colors. Those underlying layers give the works depth for me and make them come alive. Many thin layers together create a whole and a story.

Do you copy the color combinations exactly?

I use them as a starting point. On the panel, the proportions change and new nuances emerge. My composition, the many thin layers of paint and the transitions turn the inspiration into my own painting. The book palette is not a complete list of all the colors I use during the creative process.

Where can I view the books?

Through the buttons in this article, you will find Volume 1 and Volume 2 at Athenaeum Scheltema. They are affiliate links: with an order through one of these links, I may receive a commission.

Related articles

Read more about the collection in Utsuroi: abstract paintings with Japanese inspiration. In From book to canvas, I further explain my painting process. Want to know more about the book? View my guide to A Dictionary of Color Combinations.