Squares by Phi

Puzzle explanation

The unclued anagrams were “I paint modern” and “no dim painter”, both referring to Piet Mondrian. The final grid ws in the style of many of his paintings, each of the square regions being filled with the primary colour RED, YELLOW or BLUE that appears within it. As well as the version with all four lines extending from one edge of the grid to the opposite one (partitioning the grid into nine rectangles, some of them square), variants were accepted that omitted one or more line segments (each line consisting of three segments), as long as there were exactly four lines, forming a connected whole, with each coloured square having at least one edge bounded by a segment.

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

Answer Explanation
Square 1
DUST WRAPPER DUST + W + RAPPER
EREMIC CHIMERE < − H
REDE REDONE − ON
TIERED TITTERED − TT
Square 2
ASHRAM A + SHAM(e) around R(oyal)
ASTERN (e)ASTERN
BLUECAP BLU(r) + PACE <
IRATE (a)IR + ATE
STRIP PITS < around R
TEAGUE THE HAGUE − H − H
TERRELLA ERR in TELL + A
Square 3
ASTONE AS ONE around T
BOOBY BOOB + -Y
DITHEIST DIT + HEIST
EYELINER (YE + LINE) in ER
INOBSERVANT S in NATIVE-BORN *
ISOBEL (SOBEIT − IT) in (k)IL(t)
OXHEAD O + X + HEARD − R
PYROXYLE PLENTY − LENT + ROLE around X,Y
STREAMER STER(n) around REAM
VEXATORY V + EXPIATORY − PI
WARAGI RAGI after WA
Other clues
NYSSA N + (MASSY − M) <
ORTOLAN (dec)OR TO LAN(dscape)
KERMES RM in SEEK <
TEAR INTO TEA(m) + R + INTO
OISE POISE − P
DECREE DREE around EC
SPECIATE ICE < in SPATE
MERCAT MET around CAR *
SKEO SKE(w) + O
ALUM ALBUM − B
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