In this painting is a representation of the planet Mars. Originally I did have the background (or space) black but felt it was too flat. So I went with the almost luminous blue which I felt contrasts more effectively with the red tones of the planet.
The planet show here is actually a little redder/brighter than in reality, where some subtle ochre tones are present. The richness of the red paint (particularly the cadmium scarlet - my favourite colour at the moment) comes up quite bright in photos.