Thursday, March 31, 2011

Robin Hood Flats

"The weather outside is frightful." As I write, our "Spring" weather in Maryland is raining/sleeting and snow is forecast. I want to paint but plein air is not what I want to do at this time. During these times I like to do what I call a Memory Painting. I have no problem in working from my photos. My goal, however is not to reproduce a photo-realist image but to work on my color theory, capture a spontaneous moment, and I must add, to recapture a joyful memory. How do I mix these odd and unexpected colors? In working out my issues with with color mixing in my studio I have found my I can mix colors faster and make decisions much faster when I go outside. . For instance, The orangey green found in the trees is a combination of a golden ocher (a new find) and permanent green. Morning sun on summer grass can actually be a from the tube hansa yellow if it is next to greens made with a color I found called Arylide yellow. I think I could even push it more. I also like to see how much information I can leave out and what kind of marks I can make that suggest information without being explicit. oil 10x10in