Some Experiments in Color

A few weeks ago, I rambled about a workshop I'm taking with Barb Smucker on color.  She started by talking about gray scale value, moving to limited palettes, and then to color.  (If you live in the Cincinnati Metro area and ever have an opportunity to take a workshop with Barb, I'd highly recommend it.)  My reinterpretation of her lessons in value are here.

Four colors three ways....

I was experimenting with, what I would call pure color paintings--where the intent is to place paint color at very similar values, and then use a little bit of value (maybe) to finish the painting.

This is a challenge (i.e., hard) if you're an impatient watercolor painter like me.  I end up with numerous bleeds, and mixing because I don't wait for the paint to dry, and I don't always have the color values quite right.

Anyways, here are three paintings that use identical palettes of four paints.  Quinacridone orange, carbazole violet, manganese blue hue, and undersea green, all from Daniel Smith.  The first, (at the bottom) I was randomly placing paint.

The second, since I liked the colors, I was thinking about tit a bit more (the photo is a little too dark). 

And, the last I used gray to turn them into a landscape.  I may try something else with this combination of colors since it makes lovely grays.

View From Sanctuary

Last Sunday, instead of listening in church, I was studying the view out the window.  Our church lucked into some life long dedicated gardeners, and on the grounds you can see all sorts of bits and pieces of their handiwork.  The sanctuary windows look out on to some of their plantings, and the turning leaves against the dark backdrop caught my eye.  
A couple of weeks ago, I thought I should start carrying a sketch book around with me.  I ordered a 6x6 inch one that fits in my purse with the idea that I'd draw every day.  (I haven't quite managed that, but I am drawing.)  I whipped out the sketchbook, and.....didn't have a single thing to draw with.  I ended up scrounging a green pencil, and did a quick study with notes about colors--see below.

When I sat down to paint, I purposefully limited my palette to Prussian Blue (two o'clock), Alizarin Crimson (ten o'clock), and Quinacridone Gold (six o'clock) and looked at various values and ways that the paints mixed before I started--again, see below.  In the past, I haven't planned things quite so much.  I'm not sure if I like this or not.

 The final result took two tries.  I tried the first painting on 140-lb paper, and I was having trouble with the paint drying too fast.  I tried again on 300-lb paper, and liked the result much better.  The painting is alla prima, and is 4x7 inches.  Definitely makes me think of fall.
 

From the sketch book.

Planned palette.  That's Prussian Blue at two o'clock, Quinacridone Gold at six, and Alizarin Crimson at ten.