Think Color

When you see all the beautiful colors in oil paints you will tempted to purchase one of each kind.  Colors establish a mood, are believed to be more enticing to see, and more effective. It has been my experience that people believe the more color in artwork the better you are.  Michelangelo was a great color theorist.  He explored in depth a diverse approach to color.  He was well aware of the balance needed when creating some of his master pieces. When he painted his figures he made us believe that the figures could possibly come alive and start to speak to us.

There is no exact way in painting with colors.  No two artist approach it the same.  My philosophy is to only allow yourself to start with no more then 3 to five colors.  I encourage you to work with the three primary colors, RED - BLUE - YELLOW!  This will allow for a full pallet. You will be able to create the Secondary colors from the primary colors, GREEN, ORANGE, and PURPLE! White and Black are a given.  

Some suggestions......

* Less is more.  The more color you have in a painting the more confusing it can be to visually interpret the oil painting!

* Select colors that are appropriate to the subject matter!

Black and White are a given!

* Yellow will always brighten up an area in your painting while White will always dull out an area!

* Start with a painters chart for practice so you can learn about the diversity in painting. An example of a painters chart will be given at a future date.

*When beginning painting do not hesitate in being experimental.  Artwork is learned through trial and error. The beauty of painting is you can always go back to your painting to add additional paint.  This is the biggest advantage with oils.

* Use complimentary values when painting various hues.

This happens to be a recent still life I created with watercolors on paper.  Note there are only four colors in the painting, yet it appears to use a full color pallet.  

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What to Paint and Why?

Painters - Artist have been painting since the beginning of Man Kind. You would think that since man kind is only 5000 years old that we have painted it all. This is not true!  There is much room for discovery and everyday new and inventing ways of painting are being discovered.  I thought the abstract painter, Raushenburg, may have summed it up best when he for sees us depicting our own history in Art.  In a sense, painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and all other forms of art from music to ballet give us an insight not only of what the artist is trying to say but in different approaches of how it is best said. 

It is only my opinion, that the stronger work tends to come from ones personal experiences.  It is the individual experiences in life that offer a different insight to each painting. So it is recommended for you to begin keeping a journal or sketchbook of your experiences.  A small one to be carried around with you in your travels for the day.  Jot down a memory, fast note, cut out articles, fill it up with poems, and phrases you may like. Carry a pencil with you at all times. Sometimes a scribble can turn into a remarkable painting to be used for future reference.

The more you add to your journal the more ideas you will have in creating. Simple ideas can prove to be very powerful in a painting. A simple drawing of a tea cup while having your afternoon tea, fresh fruit in a bowl, a window sill, a chair or pair of shoes.  

When preparing to paint refer to your sketchbook.  If time is short and you are unable to capture the moment in your sketchbook then there is always your smart phone, or digital camera to document the moment for you. 

Ask yourself these questions:

1st - think about what is off interest to you?

2nd - what is important to you?

3rd - How are you going to approach painting?

Another words, concept, aesthetic value, and technique. All three elements are important and all are necessary in creating a painting.  Not one is lesser then the other.

For beginners I recommended simple geometrical shapes.  You may find these in a still-life of fruits and vegetables. 

For more advanced you might want to tackle a portrait of a friend or family member. 

Do not hesitate to take on more then you can do. It is better to strive for harder and more difficult elements in you paints. You are almost ready to begin.