How I Work (Sometimes)

Sometimes, when I sit down to work, I start with a palette, and explore how the colors combine in various paintings. It's a fun exercise, and it helps keep me painting consistently.

In this case, my palette is quinacridone burnt orange, indian yellow, manganese sky blue, and carbazole violet. You can see them laid out across the top left of the sheet--plus a little bit on how they combine. Then, all around the page you can see my trials. I'm painting on a 300 lb block of Kilamanjaro paper from Cheap Joes.

Autumn Abstract

Autumn Abstract.  13 x 9.5 inches.  Watercolor. 

It seems like different trees have decided to show off this year, and for the first time, the Kentucky Coffee Tree we planted in our front yard is displaying fall colors.   It is a lovely yellow gold, with some bright green mixed in.

I can see it from my front window when I'm painting at the kitchen table, and when I started the painting, I was shooting for semi-realistic.  I had neither a good composition (too centered), nor good colors (I started with indian yellow, hansa yellow medium, and ultramarine blue).

This is how it evolved into an abstract, with carbazole violet added as the last layer for darkness and shapes.

I think it's a combination of beautiful and ominous, or like autumn.

Blue and Orange

Gold Trees Orange Shadows.  Watercolor.  6.5 x 11 inches.

For the better part of the last week, I've been limiting my palette to blues and oranges.  I don't know why.  I do like blue, but this time of year (fall) I tend to think more in warm colors, and my recent paintings have tended to turn up disproportionately blue.  It may be my suspicsion that it's going to be a miserable winter.  It's noon on Oct. 4, and it's only just over 40 degrees F.  Jeez.