November Colour Chart No. 4: Brown Ochre 182, Caput Mortuum 169, 2026 by Lucinda Burgess

Part of Lucinda Burgess’s November Colour Chart series, this work examines colour as both material substance and perceptual event. Mounted on birch plywood, the pigment is divided into two distinct surface conditions: one half carefully burnished to produce a reflective sheen, the other left matte and absorbent. This measured contrast reveals how light, texture, and viewing position alter the experience of colour. As the viewer moves in front of the work, the burnished section catches ambient light while the matte surface remains optically subdued. The result is a subtle oscillation between luminosity and depth, where the same pigment appears to shift in intensity and tone depending on the conditions under which it is observed. Developed as part of Burgess’s ongoing investigation into material transformation and environmental influence, the November Colour Chart works treat colour not as a fixed visual property but as something contingent and relational. The division of the surface establishes a simple structure through which these shifts can be observed, allowing colour to emerge through the interaction between pigment, surface, and light. Each work in the series is titled after the pigment used, foregrounding the material specificity of colour while recalling traditions of studio notation and colour testing. At the same time, the works move beyond the neutrality of conventional colour charts. The plywood support carries its own grain and tonal variation, introducing subtle irregularities that affect how the pigment is perceived. Within Burgess’s practice, November Colour Chart operates between painting, object, and study. The works propose colour as something encountered rather than prescribed, shaped by the physical conditions of surface and light. In this way, the series continues Burgess’s broader enquiry into perception, material sensitivity, and the evolving presence of colour within contemporary abstraction.