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'Tree Study #3', Watercolor on paper, 9 x 12 inches.
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Palette: burnt umber, new gamboge,
quinacridone magenta, cobalt blue
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Behind the scenes...
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Color Explorations
I've been studying and teaching color theory for many years and I've been mixing colors in dyes for even longer. [You can see the colorful results of my dyeing at my Etsy shop.]
One of the things I love to do is take my color wheel and choose a combination of colors and use those colors in a new way - a tree trunk in French ultramarine blue. Leaves in viridian, burnt sienna and aureolin. As long as the lights and darks are in the right places, the colors work.
 - 'Tree Study #2', watercolor on paper, 9 x 12 inches.
See what I mean? The darks and lights give the right volume to the subject, so it doesn't matter that the colors are wild and crazy.
I do a lot of these experiments in tree forms because I'm primarily a landscape artist and my landscape is heavily populated with trees. It's my version of portrait painting.
Here's another one:
 - 'Tree Study #4', watercolor on paper, 9 x 12 inches.
These exercises are both fun and informative. They are a great way to experiment with new pigments and color combinations. They show you how colors play together. They hone your skills at placing lights and darks and deciding which colors are best used for lighter and darker values and in what concentrations.
You can bet I'll be doing a lot more of these.
The tree paintings featured this month above are framed with white conservation quality mat in a simple white frame and are available for purchase. 20 x 16 inches. $150.
- Contact me for details.
- You can see more of my art here.
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- A pigment to know...
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Quinacridone
 - Photo: www.danielsmith.com
The science of art is ever evolving as new compounds are utilized in a variety of ways to get us those colors we love.
A recent addition is a series of colors made with quinacridone. Colors based on this organic compound range from a luminous quin gold through the reds to the quin magenta that colors your printer's ink and right on over to a gorgeous quin violet.
They are exceptionally color and weather fast and used frequently in automobile paint and for exterior uses. In addition, they have remarkable semiconductor qualities and are being used in organic LEDs and organic solar cells.
The majority of quinacridone watercolor paints are made by Daniel Smith. Here's a link to their watercolor paint chart. [Other companies make them, too, but DS has the most extensive collection.]
Jane Blundell, an extraordinary watercolor artist in Australia, loves those paints and writes extensively about them on her blog with loads of painted samples. Her blog is a real treasure for everyone interested in watercolors. -
- The two I have on my palette now are Quin Burnt Orange and Quin Magenta. They are luminous, but neutralize brilliantly with a complement.
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So, I read this great book...
[Links take you to Amazon for details.]
...because my daughter saw it at the library and loved the cover so she brought it home to me. I loved it! Jean Haines is one of my favorite watercolor artists. She works with bright pure color and her work glows. This book takes you through her philosophy of painting and shows you step by step how to approach a subject the way she does.
 
I loved this book so much I bought one to keep. She has more that are on my wish list. Here is a list of her books and dvds available on Amazon.
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Calendar
Contact me or follow the links for more information. See my complete calendar HERE.
February 3 - March 28, 2017
[Exhibit] 'We paint...Mardi Gras', Bloomington Watercolor Society group show. The Vault. 121 E 6th St. Bloomington, Indiana.
April 21-23, 2017
[Class] Color Exploration Experience at MoonTree Studios, Plymouth, Indiana. I'm super excited to teach this class. If you've been wanting to spend a few days doing some individualized study that's color-related, please register!
May 8, 2017
[Presentation] 'Basic Color Theory for Painters', Bloomington Watercolor Society monthly meeting. 6:00 pm. First Christian Church. Corner of Kirkwood and Washington. [Enter from Washington Street side.] Bloomington, Indiana.
May 27, 2017
[Class] 'Color Harmonies'. This is my favorite class to teach! We start with a bit of formal color theory and then explore several different types of color harmonies using color wheels and other tools. This is a small class taught at my home studio of no more than four people so you'll get a lot of individual attention. Workshop includes a project consultation for each person. Bring a project you have color questions about and we'll discuss it in depth and give you some workable options to get you back on track.
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