Monday, March 26, 2012

decide what you love

To create that magic you need to decide what you love about your subject and the color that says the mood..
This scene obsessed me. I saw it when I was driving and had it in my head for a couple of days. Finally, after hearing the weather report I new the conditions were going to be right. The next early morning  I zipped out to the location. I was delighted that it still held the magic I once saw. Mystery, soft and wonderful mystery. The mystery and wonder that only Spring holds. Not syrupy sweet, soft and expectant.
Next, pick a color that says the mood.  Remember that color is fully your choice.... it's what you think is important. Then you choose the other colors that are related to that color family. Color dominance can be like cooking. For instance when I cook Italian food (which is often) I will always have garlic, onions and basil on hand. Yes, sometimes fennel, anise and oregano come in as well, but I never accompany that same meal with dishes made with cumin, garam marsala or cilantro. Pick from the family that influences your creation favorably.
In this painting the fog had a green spring glow, deep fog and a hint of light.  And while the landscape is predominately warm, fog cools it. Using an analogous palette of green to blues I tried to set a feel. A warm orange underpainting made the necessary warmth.
Painting what you love and knowing why you love it seems simple and it is. Most importantly it requires that you set an intention.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

neutrals and simultaneous contrast

pastel 10x10
If you want to make a high chroma color glow, what do you do? Place it next to a neutralized color, one with low chroma.
This, of course, brings us back to simultaneous contrast.  A color is not defined fully until you place another color next to it. It's all about relationships. For instance, that yellow in the sky didn't vibrate until the grayer/more neutralized violet was placed next to it. If I had place a high chroma rich light violet the relationship would be lost. There would be no yin to face the yang.
A color will appear darker in value on a light ground and lighter on a dark ground, more intense on a more neutral ground and grayer on a very intense ground. Green will look more yellow on a field of blue and more blue on a field of yellow. Size of the color mass also influences the effect of simultaneous contrast. Generally, larger color areas have more influence on smaller color areas.
The gray line going through the two bottom value scales is the same value. Amazing, eh? The lesson for all of us to remember when painting...nothing is in isolation.  Simultaneous contrast is the effect of how color and value are relative.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

thinking about neutrals

unfinished piece of larger painting (oil)
9x18 pastel on watercolor (plein air)
Now, more about neutrals. After last week's post about neutrals I received an email.  "why are neutrals so important? In short, neutrals create harmony. Beautiful neutrals or grays are created by mixing the perfect amount of the opposing colors on the color wheel-complementary colors. What that means is you have a little bit of each of the primaries in that neutral.  Balance and harmony. The landscape is really made up of many neutrals with some small bits of intense chroma thrown into the mix.
When painting with all intense color it becomes garish...it's like a room full of loud voices and you don't know who  to listen to. Neutrals are the small conversations that make you lean in to know more.
In oils it is so easy to control and understand neutrals, but in pastel you have to understand what is in each stick since you have not mixed it. Having an abundant supply of neutral pastels is encouraged. You can also mix your own neutrals by layering the right value of the complementary color of pastel on top. Or using your underpainting and layering on that.
One of the secrets of neutrals is simultaneous contrast.....I will save that for next time.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

spring equals yummy neutrals

10x14 pastel on watercolor
The use of compliments is an important tool for making delicious neutrals.  For pastels that means graying down a color in thin layers. I like to use the watercolor underpainting the make it happen quickly on the spot. In the studio I find that glazing in oil can be very similar.

Springtime is full of these beautiful colors. Enjoy the bounty!

In the meantime, a quote from Hans Hofmann,
In nature, light creates the color. In the picture, color creates the light.

Friday, March 9, 2012

field study and Pollock

9x9 pastel
Every good painter paints what he (she) is.
Jackson Pollock

Realizing who that is and accepting it is the challenge.

Monday, March 5, 2012

the diva and her entourage:composition

pastel 10x10
 If you didn't catch Robert Genn's post in the Painter's Keys last week please check out this link. It's a must. The post labeled "six compositional boo- boos" shares important information we know, but, speaking for myself, sometimes simply forget to use.
detail/diva
Paintings are rarely "good enough." Genn gives 6 tools to help you examine your work.
The third "boo boo" labeled "amorphous design" talks about the cornerstone of good composition. I have always thought of it as the diva  (focal point) and her entourage, which consists of two smaller points of interest. These points should form a triangle (during the Renaissance many artists preferred the equilateral triangle, although most artists now use an unequal.) The points direct the viewers eye, practically providing a map of driving instructions. Many paintings fail either because this diva is not evident or her supporting cast does not exist, thus leaving the viewer floundering and uninterested.
The painting above was one I completed this winter. It fell flat until I heightened the distant land mass and sky- making the diva more apparent. The blue in the top left sky and the orange in the mass of trees left were my pivot points.

PS When you check Robert Genn's post be certain to sign up for his twice weekly letters. The post is one of his wonderful letters.