DramaticColorintheLandscapePaintingLandandLightinOilandPastel

BrianKeeler

Cincinnati,Ohioartistsnetwork.com

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Contents

SpecialOffers

SuppliesYouNeed

Introduction

MaterialsfortheLandscapeArtist

gettingbetteracquaintedwithcolor

ColorTermstoKnow

BasicColorSchemes

TypesofColorHarmony

makingcolordramatic

ConsideringColorTemperature

EmbracingHigh-ChromaColor

ChromaticExpression

FracturedColor

Glazing

IntuitiveColor

ArrangingandPushingValues

Farmland:WorkinginHigh-ChromaColor

GorgeWaterfall:DevelopingaWarmColorScheme

VineyardSunset:GlazingforLuminosity

expressingthroughcomposition&format

ExploringFormatPossibilities

CompositionStrategiesforCreatingDynamicMovement

EnsuringDynamicPointsofInterest

RockyLandscape:ComposinginaSquareFormat

NeighborhoodStreet:TakingaWiderView

CoastalTownscape:GuidingtheViewer’sEye

paintingskies,clouds&light

WhatWillYourSkySay?

ConveyingtheClouds

SeeingandStatingtheLight

BacklightingforDrama

WaterReflectingtheSkyandLand

NightSkies

MoonlitStreet:MaximizingaCoolPalette

BeachSky:TryingaSceneinTwoDifferentMediums

conveyingperspective

PerspectiveTermstoKnow

LinearPerspective

DecidingtheEyeLevel

AnalyzingAngles&TheirRelationships

AerialPerspective

GainingNewInspirationFromaFamiliarLocation

SeasideSky:KeepingCloudsinPerspective

Cityscape:PerfectingStreetScenePerspective

Dedication

AboutAuthor

Acknowledgments

Copyright

SuppliesYouNeedThesuppliesyouneedtopursuelandscapepaintingwilldependonyourmedium(s)ofchoice,andlargelyonyourpersonalpreferencesforpaintingoutdoorsandinthestudio.Followingisacomprehensivelistofthematerialstheauthorrecommends.Experimentwithvariousproductsandequipmenttodiscoveryourown

preferences.Thespecificpaintcolorsandpaintingsurfacesusedtocompletethestudiopaintingsinthedemonstrationsinthisbookarelistedatthebeginningofeachproject.

TheauthorpaintingfromtherocksattheharborinStonington,Maine,onebeautifulmorninginAugust.Thefinishedpleinairstudyappearsagaininthe

ConveyingtheCloudssection.ToseeavideoclipofBrianpaintingthisscene,visitbriankeeler.com.

Pastels|36–96sticksofcolorOilPaints|Theauthor’spaletteincludes:AlizarinCrimson•Black•BurntSienna•BurntUmber•CadmiumOrange•CadmiumYellow(Light,Medium,DeepandLemon)•CadmiumRedLight(orCadmiumScarlet)•CeruleanBlue•ChromiumOxideGreen•CobaltBlue•HansaYellow•NaplesYellow•PermanentRose•PhthaloBlue•PhthaloGreen•PrussianBlue•RawSienna•RawUmber•UltramarineBlue•VenetianRed(orIndianRed)•White•YellowGreen(Utrechthue)•YellowOchreAcrylicPaints|Fortoningthecanvas,including:NeutralGray(Utrechthue)•BurntSienna•RawSiennaSurface|Forpastels:CansonMi-Teintespastelpaper•140-lb.(300gsm)cold-presswatercolorpaper•ArtSpectrumpastelpaperOptionsforpleinairoils:CansonCanva-Paper,16"×20"(41cm×51cm)or20"×24"(51cm×61cm)•Heavyweightbarrierpaperor150-lb.(244gsm)watercolorpapercoatedwithacrylicgesso•MultimediaArtboard•LinenorcanvaspanelsForstudiooils:Stretchedlinen(fine-weaveandmedium-weave)•LinenorcanvaspanelsBrushes|Varietyofbristle,synthetic-sableandsyntheticbrushes,includingSablette(byUtrecht)andSilverwhite(bySilverBrush)lines:Nos.2(Sablette),4,6and8round•Nos.1,2,4,8and10filbertOthersupplies|Palette•Palettecarrierandcover•Portableandstudioeasels•Paletteknives•Solventsandsolventcontainer•Acrylicgesso•Glazing/thinningmediums•Cloveoil•Paletteknife•Water-filledspraybottle•TwoL-shapedcornersfromamatboard(foraviewfinder)•20"×24"(51cm×61cm)or18"×24"(46cm×61cm)foamcoreorMasonitesupportboardwithtwoorfourclamps•Sketchpad•Graphiteandcharcoalpencils•Kneadederaser•Maskingtape•Craftknives•Otherusefulitemsforpleinairpainting•Referencephotos

IntroductionPaintingthelandscapepresentsmanyopportunitiesforself-expression,aswellasanopportunitytoaddresssomeoftheformalaspectsofpicturemaking,andthechancetoconveyanimpressionofone’ssurroundings.Formyself,landscapepaintingwasinitiallyawelcomebreakfromtheconfinementoftheliteraldescriptionrequiredwithportraiture,whichisamongthetypesofpaintingsthatIdo.AsmuchasIadmirethefluidportraitureofAmericanexpatriateartistJohnSingerSargent,itisnoteworthythatlaterinlifehefoundtheportraitpaintingprocessrathertediousanddiscoveredhisgreatestjoyinoutdoorpaintingtrips.IcanidentifywithSargent’sfeelings.Thedesiretopaintwithoutthemaingoalbeingtoliterallydepictwhatone

seesmayseemoddtothenonpainter.Infact,itissometimestakenasaprerequisitethatthecreative(nonliteral)paintingprocessrepresentssomesortoffibbing.Buttome,theprocessofcreatingimagesismoreakintothenovelistwhocreatesfromreallifebuttransmutesthoseexperiencesintoabookrepresentingadistillationofimpressions,andperhapsahighertruth.Takinglibertieswithcolorisanotherwayofnotbeingcloisteredbythetyrannyoftheliteralandfitsinwithmygeneralapproach.Nonetheless,whatisbeingdepictedinmypaintingsisalmostalwaysrecognizable,andIthinktheyarepurchasedandadmiredforthosesamequalities.Still,landscapepaintingoffersachancetofocusontheformalelementsofdesignandcolorandtheinherentbeautyofpaintinawaythatisquiteunique.Coloristhemostexpressivetoolthatartistshaveintheirtoolbox.Oftenitcan

serveasourmostdirectemotionalvehicleandlikewiseresonatewiththevieweronaverypersonallevel.Eachartist’schoicesareuniquelyhisown—subjectiveandbiased—andthereisnoguaranteeofsuccessorcertaintyofappeal.However,enteringintoapaintingwithanopenattitudeofexploringthepossibilitieswillberewardedwithgenuinerevelations.Learningtotakerisksisanessentialaspectofbeingcreativewithcolor,andinthisbook,Iwillshowyou

anessentialaspectofbeingcreativewithcolor,andinthisbook,Iwillshowyouhowtakingthoserisks—armedwithincreasedknowledgeandyourownintuition—canleadtolastingvisualimpressions.InhisseminalbookLandscapeIntoArt,arthistorianKennethClarkwrites,

“Factsbecomeartthroughlove,whichunifiesthemandliftsthemtoahigherplaneofreality;andinlandscape,thisall-embracingloveisexpressedbylight.”Tome,thisunderscorestheprocessofpaintinglandscapes.Theactofpaintingone’sintimateimpressionsofnature—clouds,atmosphere,topographyandsoon—becomesavehicletohonortheuniquenessandvalidityofourobservations.Thechallengeistocarvethisoutwithoutadheringtoaready-madepathortoanother’svision.Attheendoftheday,however,despitemanyinfluences,ourownvoiceemerges.

SPRINGLIGHT—ROUTE187,SUGARRUN,PAOiloncanvas.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)CollectionofDavidandVirginiaLovitz,Wyndmoor,PA

SpringisevidentinthisstretchofPennsylvaniaroadalongtheriver,withforsythiaprovidingasplashofwarm,invitingcolorastheeveningsundapplesthepavement.

MaterialsfortheLandscapeArtist

TRAVELINGANDPAINTING:TOOLSANDPRACTICALTIPSPaintingonlocation,whetherathomeorabroad,requiresawell-organizedportablepaintingsystemthatyouarecomfortablewith.Considertheartistsofyorewhohadtolugheavyequipmentalong,withonlyrudimentarymethodsofgettingaround.PaulCézannetrudgedfivemileseachdayfromMountSainte-VictoireinAix-en-Provencewithhispaintingequipmentinawheelbarrow.Oureffortstodayseemcushybycomparison.Wecanonlybethankfulforthemanymoderntoolsandtransportationoptionsnowatourdisposal.Includedinthissectionaresomeofmymethods,materialsandsuggestions

fortransportingsuppliesandworkingoutdoors.Whentraveling,keepingyourequipmentlightiskey.AsIhavedevelopedmyownproductpreferencesovertime,sowillyou.Inthemeantime,experimentwithvariousoptionstodiscovertheonesyoulike.

LOCATIONMATERIALSFOROILANDACRYLICPAINTERSPalettecarrier|Painterswhouseoilsoracrylicsneedawaytocovertheirpalettessothewetpaintcanbetransportedandusedonsubsequentdays.Plasticpalettecarriers(suchasMasterson)arelightandreasonablypriced,butI’vefoundthatsomeeventuallybuckleandbecomeunsealable.Inowuseathin,flatwoodenboxwhich,althoughdesignedforholdingpastelsinaFrencheasel,worksperfectlyasapalettecover/protector.Thesestrong,durable,inexpensiveboxesareavailableinartsupplystoresandonline.

Easel|Ihaveusedvariouseaselsovertheyears,andtheyallhavecertainadvantages.IcurrentlyuseaSoltekeasel(soltekarts.com),whichisstrongandcompact;evenatninepounds,itishalftheweightofawoodenFrencheasel.Thisniftyeaselhasoveradozenpositionstoaccommodatestanding,sittingina

chairandsittingontheground.Itsetsupinunderaminute,whichmakesitidealforcapturingmomentswhenthelightisjustright.Althoughpricey,Soltekeaselsarewell-madeenoughtolastmanyyears.Winsor&Newtoneaselsarethenextbestoption;theyarequiteinexpensiveandverylight.Theirfold-upmodel(aboutfiftydollars)isagoodchoicefornewartists.

Brushes|Bristlebrushesworkverywellforcoveringbroadareas.Utrecht’sSablettebrushes(filbertsandrounds)aresoftandallowfordetailaswellasbroadpassagesofpaint.IhavebeenusingSilverwhitesyntheticnylonbrushesaswell,whicharesomewhatmoreuniversal.TheyaremorespringyandstifferthantheSablette,butnotasstiffasthebristlehog’s-hairtype.Generally,itisbettertousethestiffertypeofbristlebrush(suchasboar’shair

orthenylonthatsimulatesboar’shair)whenstartingawork.Thistypeofbrushholdsmorepaintandenablesyoutocoverbroadareaswithmoreease.Thesynthetic-sabletypesarebettersuitedforthelaterstagesofaworkwhenyouareblending,fusingorotherwisefinessingcolorormodelingform.ThesizesofroundsIuseincludenos.2(Sablette),4,6and8.Thesizesof

filbertsIusearenos.1,2,4,8and10.

Solvents|Todiluteoilcolorandforcleaningbrushesandpalettes,youcancarryodorlessturpentine,mineralspiritsorturpenoidinasmallcan.Whenflying,Iusuallytakealongasmallbottle,shippedwithmyluggagesoIhaveitreadywhenIarrive.Checkwithyourairlinefortheirpoliciesontransportingsolvents.

Paintingsurface|IliketocarryapadofCansonCanva-Paper,availablein16"×20"(41cm×51cm)or20"×24"(51cm×61cm).Anotheroptionistobringheavyweightbarrierpaperorwatercolorpaper(150-lb.[244gsm]),pre-treatedwithtwocoatsofacrylicgesso.Youmaywishtobringarollofcanvas,stretcherstripsandastaplertomakeyourowncanvason-site,butthisrequiresmorework.StillanotheroptionisMultimediaArtboard.Becausethisproductisveryabsorbent,acoatofgessoorLiquinisneededtomakeitreadyforpaint.Wind

Riverpanelsareanotherexcellentoption.Thesearchivalpanelsaremadewithlinenorcanvasandgluedontolightweightsupports.

Paint|Thefollowingcolorsworkwellforeitheroiloracrylicpainting:

•RawUmber•BurntUmber•BurntSienna•YellowOchre•NaplesYellow•CadmiumYellow(Light,MediumandDeep)•CadmiumOrange•CadmiumRedLight•VenetianRed(orIndianRed)•PermanentRose•AlizarinCrimson•UltramarineBlue•CeruleanBlue•ChromiumOxideGreen•PhthaloGreen•White•Black

HighlyrecommendedforoilpaintersonlyisPermalbaWhite.Winsor&Newton’sGriffinAlkydquick-dryingwhitepaintisgreatfortraveling.Fortintingsurfaces,IusuallyuseNeutralGrayacrylicpaintfromUtrechtandsometimesRawSienna(acrylicoroil)orBurntSienna(acrylic).Trydifferentbrandstodiscoveryourownpaintpreferences.

Glazing/thinningmediums|Anoptionalitemforoilpainters,Copalmediumspeedsthedryingofoilpaints.Liquinalsospeedsdryingandprovidesaneven

finalvarnish.ThemediumthatIhavebeenusingasoflateisUtrechtAlkydGlazingMedium,whichisverysimilartoLiquin.Cloveoilisanoptionthatslowsdrying,allowingmoretimeforcorrectionsifneeded.Ionlyusecloveoilinthedrawingstage,notwhilepainting.

Solventcontainer|ThebestcontainerIhavefoundisastainless-steelmodelcalledthePetiteAirTightBrushWasher.Clampskeepyourturpentineormineralspiritsfromspillingwhiletraveling,andascrubbingdeviceinthebottomallowspigmentstosettle.AnotherexceptionalairtightmodelofsolventcontainerissoldbyHolbein.Acheaperbutlesseffectiveoptionissettingtwosmallaluminumcupsonyourpalettetoholdyoursolventandmedium.

Spraybottle|Asmall,water-filledspraybottlewillhelpkeepacrylicpaintwet.

Palette|Forplasticpalettes,cutapieceoffoamcoreormatboardtogoinsideandcoveritwithaluminumfoil.Or,getapremadepaperorwoodenpaletteinsert.

Paletteknives|Iveryrarelyusepaletteknivesfortheactualpaintingprocess,butImayuseonetomixalargequantityofpaint.Ifavorthestandardtriangular-shapedone.Earlyinmycareer,Iwouldalwaysprepareanextensivepaletteofaboutthirtycolorsandusedaknifetomixincloveoil(whichslowsthedryingmarkedly).Now,Ifavorafast-dryingpaletteandthereforedonotpremixwithapaletteknife.

TwoL-shapedcornersfromanoldmatboard|Thesemaybeheldupandusedasaviewfinderbyslidingthemineitherdirectiontoaltertheshapeandcompositionofanyprospectivepainting.

Otherusefulitems|Thingsyouwillwanttohavewhenworkingoutsideofthestudioinclude:

•Hat•Foldingstool•Camera•Sunglasses•Sunscreen•Tallleatherbootsifyouplantohikeintheopenfields;otherwise,comfortablehikingorwalkingshoes

•Caseforcarryingwork•Sturdytubeforshippingwork•Papertowels/rags

LOCATIONMATERIALSFORPASTELARTISTSSurfaceboard|Irecommenda20"×24"(51cm×61cm)or18"×24"(46cm×61cm)foamcoreorMasoniteboard.Twoorfourclampsareusefulforholdingyourpapertotheboard.

Paper|Forpastel,IcarrytentofifteensheetsofCansonMi-Teintes.ForwatercolorIusuallysuggestcarryingtensheetsof140-lb.(300gsm)cold-press(IuseArches),whichIalsorecommendforthosewhowishtoapplyanacrylicwashbeforeapplyingpastel.Carryasketchpadaswell.ArtSpectrumisawonderfulbrandofpaperthatIjuststartedusing.This

paperisverydurable,somuchsothatyoucanwashoutareasthatarenotworkingout.Youcouldalsouseturpentinewashesfirstasanunderpaintingbeforeusingpastel.

Pastels|APrismacolorNuPastelpackof96colorsisthetravelingsetIprefer.Italsocomesinsmallerquantities,including36,48and60.Thesenicesticksallowfordetailaswellasbroadcoverageofareas.I’vealsousedSchminckeandRembrandtbrands.

Pencils|Forpastelwork,use2Bor4B.Avarietyofcharcoalpencils,2Band

darkerto6B,areusefulforsketching.Alsokeeponhandakneadederaser.

Maskingtape|Maskingtapecomesinhandyforavarietyofreasons.Oneuseistotapedowntheedgeofyourpaperorcanvassheettopreventitfromblowingorflappinginthewind.

Craftknives|Theseutilityblades(suchasX-Acto)areusefulforavarietyofsmalltasks,includingshapingapasteltoapointorsharpeningcharcoalandcarbonorgraphitepencils.Thecarbonandcharcoalpencilsareoftentoosofttobeusedinaconventionaltypeofhandheldsharpener.

KEUKACLOUDSOiloncanvas(studiopainting).40"×46"(102cm×117cm)CollectionofCarylFlickinger,PennYan,NY

KEUKALAKE,NOVEMBEROiloncanvasonpanel(study).10"×36"(25cm×91cm)Privatecollection,Corning,NY

Fromon-locationstudytostudiopainting

Ipaintedthispiecemostlyonlocation,onabeautiful,warmSundayafternooninearlyNovember,andfinisheditinthestudiofrommemoryinsteadofusingaphotoreference.TheviewisofKeukaLake,justsouthofPennYan,NewYork,ontheeasternside.Inthestudy,theformatbeingalongrectangle,Idecidedtofocusonthelandandlakeandminimizethesky.Thekeyelementsareallclusteredinafocalpointintheupperright.Inthestudiopainting,Ishiftedthisclustertothelowerright,therebyopeninguptheexpanseofthesky,andzoomedinforacloserview.

Myoilpalette

Mystudiooilcolors,startingfromtheupperleft:white(usuallyWinsor&NewtonGriffinAlkyd),BurntUmber,BurntSienna,YellowOchre,NaplesYellow,CadmiumYellow,CadmiumOrange,CadmiumRedLight,VenetianRed(orIndianRed),PermanentRoseand/orAlizarinCrimson,UltramarineBlue,CeruleanBlue,ChromiumOxideGreen,YellowGreen(Utrecht)andPhthaloGreen.NotshownhereareothercolorsIusethatIconsiderneutrals,includingblackandRawUmber.Also,latelyIhavebeenusingCobaltBlueorPhthaloBlue,whichIwouldputinbetweentheUltramarineandCerulean.SometimesIaddothercolorstomypalette,suchasHansaYellow,CadmiumYellowLemonandPrussianBlue.

SETTINGUPBACKATTHESTUDIOMypalettelayoutinthestudioisnotanydifferentfromthewayitispreparedformypleinairwork.Thisbasicallyconsistsofarrangingthecolorsaroundthe

formypleinairwork.Thisbasicallyconsistsofarrangingthecolorsaroundtheoutsideofthepaletteinorderofhowtheywouldappearonthecolorwheel.ThesurfaceIuseformyoilspaintedinthestudioisstretchedlinen(fine-

weaveormedium-weave)andlinenorcanvaspanels.WhenIbegintoworkinthestudio,Iliketohavemysmallpleinairstudy

nearby,alongwithanysketchesandphotoreferences.Aspainterswearealwaystryingtoseeourworkanewandtotakeinthe

overalllookandprogress.Inmystudio,Ihavealargemirrormountedonasturdywoodeneaselandlocatedbehindme.Thepurposeofthemirroristoofferafreshviewofthework.Periodically,Iwilllookatthereverseimageofthepaintinginprogressinthemirror,whereIwillsometimesbesurprisedbytheout-of-whackspatialdivisionsorotheranomaliesthatIcouldn’tseewitharegularview.Standingwhileworkingisalsobeneficial,especiallyduringtheearlystagesof

apainting.Steppingbackfromourcanvasperiodicallyandreassessingourworkisfacilitatedbystanding.

CHAPTERONE

gettingbetteracquaintedwithcolor

Approachingcolorinpaintingcanbedaunting,butgivenastructureandfamiliaritywiththemainproperties,itwilladdclaritytoyourwork.Inthischapterwewillexploresomeofthebasiccolorterms,theoriesandideasthatwillhelpusarticulateourartisticvisions.

PERUGIANWALL—LASTLIGHTOiloncanvasonpanel.18"×24"(46cm×61cm)ThispaintingoftheancientcityofPerugiaincentralItalywasdoneonaverywindydayonastairway.Theplayoflightonthewallwaswhatinitiallyattractedmeto

stairway.Theplayoflightonthewallwaswhatinitiallyattractedmetothescene,andthisiswhatwasblockedinquicklyattheinceptionofthepainting.

LOADINGTHENETS,LIPARIMORNINGOilonlinen.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)

Powerfulprimaries

ThisinterpretationofthedocksinLipari,offthenorthcoastofSicily,usesazigzagcompositiontoleadtheviewerthroughtheimage,withpauseshereandtherefortheviewertoenjoy—acharacter,agesture,acolor.Variationsofyellow,blueandredstandoutinthisscene.Thereisadepictionofmyselfpaintingonthewallintheupperleft.

ColorTermstoKnowThisbasiclistwillintroduce(orreacquaint)youwithsomeoftheterminologynecessaryforrelatingtocolorinpainting,includingthethreemainpropertiesofcolor:hue,valueandintensity.

Hue|Thegeneralcategorizationofacolor(i.e.,blueorred).

Value|Theleveloflightnessordarknessofacolor,whenitsrangeofvaluesiscomparedtoagrayscale.Generally,thelightestvalue(orwhite)is10onascaleof1to10,andthedarkestvalue(orblack)is1.Somereversetheorder.

Intensity|Thelevelofsaturationorbrillianceofacolor,sometimescalledchroma.Paintcontaininganabundanceofpurepigmentisthereforesaturatedandstronger(higherchroma).Lesseningthesaturationinanygivenhueisonewayofcontrollingintensity.Otherwaysinvolvedilutingthehuewithblack,whiteorcomplementaryhues.

Saturation|Thistermisrelatedtointensitybutrefersalsotohowstrong/pureorweak/dilutedacoloris.

Tint|Anyhuealteredwiththeadditionofwhite.

Shade|Anyhuealteredwiththeadditionofblack.

Key|Thepredominanceofdarkorlightvaluesinapainting.Ahigh-keypaintingcontainsmostlylightvalues,andalow-keypaintinghasmainlydarkvalues.

Primaries|Thethreemainhuesonthecolorwheel:red,yellowandblue.Thesecolorscannotbemixedfromothercolorcombinations.

Secondaries|Thehuesofgreen,orangeandviolet.Thesecolorscanbemadebymixingcombinationsoftheprimarycolorsred,yellowandblue.

Tertiaries|Thehueslocatedbetweentheprimariesandsecondariesonthecolorwheel:yellow-green,yellow-orange,red-orange,red-violet,blue-violetandblue-green.Thesecolorscanbemadebymixingcombinationsoftheprimaryandsecondarycolors.

Colorchord|Asystem,plan,schemeororganizingprincipleusedtoaddstrengthandstructuretotheoverallcolorapproachinanygivenwork.Thisresultsinamoreunifiedlookandsupportsamood.Acolorchordcanbeformedbyusingacombinationoftwo,threeorfourhuesandisreferredtorespectivelyasadyad,triadortetrad.

Dyad|Acolorchordthatmaybeformedbyusingtwocomplements(colorsappearingoppositeeachotheronthecolorwheel)ortwonearcomplements(suchasredwithblue-greenoryellow-greeninsteadofgreen).

Triad|Acolorchordformedbycombiningthreeequidistantcolorsonthecolorwheel.Theirpositionsformanequilateraltriangle.

Tetrad|Afour-colorchordthatmaybeformedinthreeways:(1)bychoosingtwopairsofcomplementswhoseconnectinglinesareperpendicularonthecolorwheel(forexample,yellowandvioletwithred-orangeandblue-green);(2)bychoosingtwopairsofcomplementsthatareseparatedbyasinglepairofcomplementsonthecolorwheel,formingarectangle—forexample,thetertiariesoneithersideofthecomplementsofyellowandviolet(yellow-orangeandblue-violetwithyellow-greenandred-violet);or(3)bychoosingtwoadjacenthuesandtwoopposinghuesthatformatrapezoidonthecolorwheel(suchasyellowandyellow-orangewithredandblue-green).

Thestandardcolorwheel

Thestandardcolorwheelcontainstwelvecolors:threeprimaries,threesecondariesandsixtertiaries.

Thefive-waycolorsphere

ThecolorsphereconceptwasdevisedbySwissExpressionistpainterJohannesIttenandreferstohisfive-waycolor-mixingsystem.It’sintendedtohelpyouvisualizethefiveprinciple“routes”youcantaketomixvarianthuesbetweentwocomplementsoropposites(inthiscase,blueandorange).Visualizethecolorwheelasadiscslidintothesphereatitsequator.Going

aroundthe“equator”requiresgoingthroughthenormalcolorwheel.Moving

aroundthe“equator”requiresgoingthroughthenormalcolorwheel.Movingfromeithercomplementtowardthecenterofthesphere(andthereforetowardeachother)willneutralizethecolor.Headingnorthorsouthwillproducetints(towardwhite)orshades(towardblack);eachcolorwillgraduallybeneutralizedorlosechromaprogressively.

BasicColorSchemesSomefamiliaritywithbasiccolorschemes—andbeingabletoidentifytheminpaintingsandintheobservedworld—ishelpfulfortheartist,andusingthemwillgivestructuretothecolorinyourartwork.Colorskillfullypositionedinkeypointsisoftenmuchmoresophisticatedthanusingcolorinabundanceandhaphazardly.Herearesomebasicschemesforselectingandorganizingcolorsinyour

paintings.

Monochromatic

Justonecolorwithitsshades(additionsofblack)oritstints(additionsofwhite).

white).

Complementary

Apairofcolorsthatareexactlyoppositeeachotheronthecolorwheel.Thisisonewaytoformadyad.

Offset(ornear)complementary

Onecolorplusanothercolorthatisadjacenttothefirstcolor’sexactcomplement.Thisisanotherwaytomakeadyad.

Splitcomplementary

Anyonecolor,plusthetwocolorsadjacenttoitsexactcomplement.

Doublesplitcomplementary

Twopairsofcomplementsthatareseparatedbyonecoloronthecolorwheel.Thisisonewaytoformatetrad.

Analogous

Anythreeorfouradjacentcolorsonthecolorwheel.

Analogouspluscomplement

Agroupofadjacentcolors,plusonecomplementaryhueoppositethegroup.

Triadic

Anythreecolorsthatareanequaldistanceapartonthecolorwheel(forexample,theprimariesred,yellowandblue).

SOLSTICESUNRISE—SUSQUEHANNAATTHEMOUTHOFTHETOWANDACREEKOilonlinen.38"×54"(97cm×137cm)

Workingwithadyad,usingcolorwheelopposites

IbasedthislargelyimpressionisticpaintingonastudyImadeafterwakingupatdaybreakwhilecampinghereonacanoetrip.Iusedthedyadofviolet/yellowbutwiththeadditionofotherhues,mainlyblues,whitesandlightgrays.Allthecolorsarelightinvalueexceptfortheforegroundshorelineandafewdarkaccentselsewhere.Ioftenusevariantsofthisdyad—inthiscase,withlightvaluestosuggesttheephemeralandatmosphericeffectsoffirstmorninglightonever-changingmist.

THEYGALLOPEDOiloncanvas.46"×42"(117cm×107cm)

Offsetcomplements

Inthisimaginativescene,offsetcomplementsareused—blue-greenandaredthatismovedtowardbluetomakeitapurple-likeAlizarinCrimson.Thiscolorschemewaschosentoaccentuatethedifferencebetweenthe“normal”lighting

schemewaschosentoaccentuatethedifferencebetweenthe“normal”lightinginthelandscapebeyondthewallandthesomewhatunexpectedlightingintheareabetweenthewallandtheviewer.Thehorsesandforegroundareawereintendedtoexistinadifferenttypeofspace,perhapsevenanocturneorsometypeofhyper-reality.Thecolorswereadjustedtosuggestashiftoftypesofperception.

TypesofColorHarmonyAsystemofharmonizingcolorsinapaintingwasfirstdevelopedandpublishedin1839byFrenchartistMichelEugèneChevruel(1786–1889)inhisbookThePrinciplesofHarmonyandContrastofColors.Chevruelorganizedthissystemintosixdistinctharmoniesoftwodifferenttypes:harmoniesofanalogyandharmoniesofcontrast.Hereisabriefsummaryoftheseharmoniesthatarestillusedbyartiststoday.

HARMONIESOFANALOGY

Harmonyofscale|Closelyrelatedvaluesofasinglehueareutilizedtogether.Scaleinthisinstancedoesnotrefertosizebuttokeepingthecolorchoiceswithinonehue,hencereducingthescopeorscaleoftheintendedsystem.Thisclassificationcouldbeconsideredamonochromaticsystem.

Harmonyofhues|Analogouscolors(adjacenthuesonthecolorwheel,usuallynomorethanfour)ofsimilarvalueareused.

Harmonyofasinglecoloredlightbeingdominant|Usingavarietyofhuesbutunifyingthecompositionthroughtheuseofadominantcoloredlight—forexample,acool,softlightfallingonasceneilluminatedbythemoon,oraspecificcoloroflightshiningfromaneonsignintoaninteriorroom.Onecouldalsouselightswithfiltersorbulbsofspecifictemperatures,withtheintentiontoachieveasinglecolorharmonyasaresultoftheillumination.

HARMONIESOFCONTRAST

Contrastofscaleharmony|Usingasinglehuebutemployingstronglyvariedvalues.Thiscouldbeconsideredamonochromaticsystemaswell.

STONINGTON,MENOCTURNEOilonlinenonpanel.22"×48"(56cm×122cm)

Pairing“imperfect”primariesforharmoniouscolor

Thecolorsystematworkherefocusesonblueandyellow;however,theyaremovedawayfromtheabsoluteprimariestoproducesomewarmblues,liketheCerulean-likecarshadowonthesidewalk.Intheskyandelsewhere,thebluesarecooler(UltramarineBluewithAlizarinCrimson).Theskycoloriskeptlow-chroma,exceptasitnearsthehorizon,wherethevalueislightenedandtheintensityincreased.Thelightslikewisearetoneddowntomakethemsofterthanapureyellow,lessintensebutstillofalightvalue.

Contrastofhuesharmony|Acompositionofanalogouscolors—blue,blue-violetandviolet,forexample—thatarestronginpurityandvaluecontrast.Allthecolorsusedinthisschemeareofadecisivehue,meaningthepurityisclearandthecolorsunmuddied,butthevaluesaredistinctlydifferenttoshowcontrast.

Contrastofcolorharmony|Usingcombinationsofhuesthatappearfarapartfromeachotheronthecolorwheel,suchascomplements,splitcomplementariesandtriadiccolors.

Theimportanceofusingaharmoniccolorschemecanvaryfrompiecetopiece.Itisoftenbeneficialtotheefficacyofagivenworktohaveanideaofthecolorintentionsandorganizationaheadoftime.Bysettingastructurewithregardstocolor,composition,themeorotheraspects,onecanlearnaboutthepoweroflimitsandtheeffectivenessofdoingmorewithless.However,acolorstrategyisnotalwaysnecessaryorevenappropriate.Forexample,whendoingpleinairwork,itmaybemoreadvantageoustojustrecordone’simpressionsaccurately,honoringone’sperceptionsratherthanimposingapredeterminedagenda.

EARLYMORNINGLIGHTONACANAL—VENICEOiloncanvas.11"×14"(28cm×36cm).Privatecollection

Neutralharmony

Inthisview,Iwasparticularlyinterestedinthelightreflectingonthewaterand

Inthisview,Iwasparticularlyinterestedinthelightreflectingonthewaterandthemaninthedoorway,whichremindedmeofsomeofJohnSingerSargent’sviewsofdarkVenetianalleys.Thecolorharmonyinthispieceutilizesneutrals.Thedark,ambiguousmysteryofthedoorway,alongwiththegraysandthemuted,warmbrownsintheshadows,formabackdropforthemainevent:theearlymorninglighthittingthewarmochresandrustycolorsofthebuildings,andthelightreflectingoffofasinglewindow.Allformalocusofwarmcolorandthebrightestlightsinthe“sweetzone.”

BICYCLISTSINFRONTOFPHILADELPHIAMUSEUMOilonlinen.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)

Oilonlinen.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)CollectionofPatsel’sRestaurant,Dalton,PA

Near-complementaryharmony

Thispainting’smaininterestisthecolor,anditsbicyclistsareavehicleforthechromaplay.Theoverallcolorschemeiswarm,almosthot.ItonedthesurfacewithBurntSiennaandCadmiumRed,visibleintheunpaintedborders.Thecolorharmonyisadyadofoffsetprimaries:yellowanditsnearcomplement,magenta,intheshadows.Bothcolorsaremovedawayfromtheircolor-wheel-perfecthuestogivethechosenschemealittlemoresubtletythanjustayellow/purplecombination.

CHAPTERTWO

makingcolordramatic

Inrealisticpainting,thegoalistocommunicateanimage,amoodoraconceptthroughthedepictionandexpressionofthevisuallyexperiencedworld.Asartists,wemustdecidehowconcernedwearewithduplicatingwhatwesee—intermsofformandshape,aswellascolor—andhowmuchtoalterorinventforabetter,moreexpressive,moredramaticinterpretation.

LIGHTONBALESOilonlinen.30"×36"(76cm×91cm)Makingadecisionaboutoverall

Oilonlinen.30"×36"(76cm×91cm)Makingadecisionaboutoveralldistributionofshapesandtheirrelationshipsiskeyattheonsetofapainting.Inthiswork,thelightontheforegroundisthemainprotagonist.Thevividskymaytakeupthemajorityofthecanvas,butitservesasabackdropandsupportingroleinthecomposition.

ConsideringColorTemperatureDeterminingthetemperatureofcolors,eitherintheobservedworldorwithinyourwork,isaveryimportantconsiderationwhenpainting.Evaluatingtemperaturewheneveryouselectacolorwilladdtotheclarityofconception.Generally,colorsthatfallbetweenvioletandblue-greenonthecolorwheel

areconsideredcool,andthosebetweenred-violetandyellow-greenarewarm.However,justhowcoolorwarmacolorappearsdependsonthecontextinwhichitisusedanditsrelationshiptoothernearbycolors.Somevioletsandcertaingreensmaygoineitherdirection,dependingontheirusage.Graysmaybeeithercoolorwarm,dependingonwhethertheyveertowardtheblueoryellowsideofthecolorwheel.Ifthecolorsyouchoosearenotdefinitivelyineithergroup,theyoftenbecome

weakcolors.Thisisnottosaythattherecannotbegreatsubtletyanddelicacyofcolor,aswhenusingmutedgraysandumbers.Still,givingdueconsiderationtothetemperatureofanycoloryouusewillhelptostrengthenyourpainting’sappearance.

Organizingcolorsusingatwo-colorsystemOnewaytoaddasystemorstructuretotheprocessofapproachingcoloristodeterminewhetherthedesiredhueleanstowardblueoryellow.ThisideaisinspiredbytheworkofcontemporarypainterDanielGreene.Asacaveat,however—andunlikeGreene’smethod—anytwocolorscouldworkforthis,iftheyarefarenoughapartonthecolorwheeltomaketheapproacheffective.So,theoppositesofred/greencouldformasystem,ascouldyellow/violet.Inmostofmywork,though,theblue/yellowsystemseemstoworkbest.Almostanycolorcanbeassignedaplacetowardoneoftheseprimaries,withtheexceptionofprimaryredandpuregreen.Asausefulchallenge,randomlyselectacolorfromanobjectyouseeandthenevaluate

whetherthatcolorleanstowardblueoryellow.

MORNINGWALKOiloncanvas.48"×54"(122cm×137cm)CollectionofAlexanderandElizabethMaclachlan,Wilmington,DE

Warmandcoolonachillyday

ThisfrostyNewYorkCityscene,paintedonalight-ochre-tintedcanvas,alternatesbetweenwarmtonesandthearbitraryselectionofturquoise-likegreensandwarmgreens.Althoughtheturquoiseappearscooloverall,itlookswarmwhencomparedtotheUltramarineBluevest.Thegreenwall,havingmoreyellowinit,isevenwarmer.Purplesandmauvescanbewarmorcool,dependingonhowmuchredorbluetheycontain.Iusedwarmreddishcolorsin

dependingonhowmuchredorbluetheycontain.Iusedwarmreddishcolorsinthecarandcoollavendertonesinthewindowframes.Althoughthecolorsareengaging,ultimatelywhatmakesthispieceeffectiveis

thetonalcontrastoflightanddark.

NOVEMBERLIGHT—SENATESTREET,WYALUSING,PAOilonlinen.22"×60"(56cm×152cm)CollectionofMosesTaylorHospital,Scranton,PA

Colorextremesmeetingatjusttherightmoment

Inthisworkismyfavoritetypeoflight—thattransitional,fleetingmomentofdramawhereyousee“thecrackbetweentheworlds,”asCarlosCastanedadescribesthisnuminoustimeinhisnovels.Ipushedthecolorsintotheextremesofwarmandcoolusingaviolet/yellowcombination.

FRONTSTREETFORSYTHIA—VERNALLIGHTOilonlinen.40"×50"(102cm×127cm)

Oppositetonesandtempsenergize

Thehouseinthepaintingbelongedtomygrandmother.Ispentmuchtimeplayinghereandnearby,asourhousewasjustdownthestreet.Hereweseetheevanescenceofspringlight,withitswarmthstreakingacrossalawn.Theforsythiaisthemainfocus,whiletheVictorianbuildingsaresecondary.Thevioletundertoneofthecanvas,becauseitistheoppositeofyellowonthecolorwheel,actsasaneffectivefoil.IappliedthepaintsimilarlytothewayIapplypastel;thepaintqualityis

oftenlikeimpasto,orwithoutalotofsolvent,whichalsomakesitsimilartopastel.Thewordimpastomostcommonlyreferstoatechniquewherepaintislaidverythicklyonanareaoranentirecanvas,sothatthebrushorpalette-

knifestrokesarevisible.Youcanalsomixthepaintdirectlyonthecanvas.Whendry,impastoprovidestexture.

EmbracingHigh-ChromaColorThetermchromareferstotheintensityofahue.Highchromasimplymeansstrongcolor.Themorepureacoloris—themorepigmentitcontains—thestrongerthecolor.Lesseningtheamountofpigmentordilutingahuebyaddingblack,whiteoritscomplementwillresultinlower-chromacolor,orcolorthatislessstrong.Paintersgenerallyseekaclarityofcolororpurenessofpigment,andoftenIseektoexpresswhatIseeinbeautiful,brightcolors.Colorsneednotnecessarilyalwaysbeofaconsistentchroma.Infact,wecan

improveourbodyofworkbyvaryingourpalette.Remembertheartistswhohaveachievedsuccessbyusingminimalorverysubtlenuancesofcolor,suchastheBaroqueartistsRembrandt,VelázquezandCaravaggio.Theprocessofdrawingandpaintingisoftenoneofmakinginitialstudiesand

thenrefiningordistillingthesearchforwhatismostengaging.ChoosingcolorsisaspecialpartofthisprocessthatIfindliberatingandthatwillallowyoutoportraythelandscapewithalatitudeorfreedominmethodandapproach.Theprocessbecomeslessrestrictivewithanattitudeofopennesstothepotentialsofcolorusage.Tostart,itisbesttoobservethegivensceneandselectwhatisinherently

drawingyoutoportraythislandscape.Then,byhonoringyourownimpressions,seektobringoutoraccentuatetheuniquenessofyourindividualperception.InTheElementsofColor,JohannesIttenadviseshisreaderstoseektoliberate

thespiritualessenceimprisonedinobjects.Withthatideainmind,wecanapproachpaintinglandscapeswithsomewhatofahigherdictumandpurpose.Thepracticalnutsandboltsofachievingheightenedhueswillcomewithpracticeandexperimentation.

WINTERVIEWTOWARDTHERIVERVALLEYATBROWNTOWN,PAOilonlinen.46"×50"(117cm×127cm)CollectionofTraceyandChrisKeeney,SugarRun,PA

Primaryvariantsforcreativecolor

Red,yellowandbluearethestarting-pointcolorshere,buteachhueisshiftedawayfromitsperfectprimarytomakethemmorenuancedandeffective.Forexample,theyellowleansmoretowardYellowOchreorNaplesYellowHue.Thehillsidetreesarereddishviolet(madewithAlizarinCrimson,UltramarineBlue,

BurntSiennaandwhite).Thedistantmountainsarevariationsofblue,startingwiththecooleranddarkerbluenexttotheriver,madewithmoreUltramarineBlue.Asthemountainsrecedetheyaremadelighterinvalue,andmoreCeruleanBlueisused.Theimportantthinginthisworkistogetthesesomewhatarbitrarycolor

choicestoworkinconcert.Thevaluesortoneshavetocorrespondandreadcorrectly,andpertaintotheperceivedscene.

TERRAMELODIA—LEROY,PAOiloncanvas.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)

Chromachangeswithinapainting

Theabstractqualitiesofthelandareemphasizedhere,andthedrawinglinesofumberpaintwereallowedtoremain.Thefieldsintheforegroundwereinventedtoleadtheeyein;asoneobservernoted,fieldsarenotusuallycultivatedgoingdownhillforsoilerosionreasons.However,therowsofcornontheoppositehillsideactuallywereheadingdownhill.ThetitlealludestotherhythmicqualitythatIliketobringoutinthepatternsoftheland.

thatIliketobringoutinthepatternsoftheland.Notethattheshadowscastbythetrees,goinghorizontallyacrossthehillside,

areverymutedinchroma,almostneutral,butdarkinvalue.Then,intheupperarea,theshadowofthetreestakesonahigh-chromablue,illustratingtheatmosphericeffectofsfumato,inwhichdistantsceneryappearsbluerorsmoky.Usuallyinthesfumatotreatmentsinalandscape,thechromaisalsoreducedorgrayeddown;here,itwasnotchedup.Intheborders,Iamusingavariantofacomplementofthegreen,whichinthisinstanceisalightAlizarinCrimsonandBurntSiennacombinationwithwhite.

ThebestcolorInpart,themissionoftheLesNabispaintersoflate-nineteenth-centuryFrance,aswellastheFauvists,wastomakeeverycolorperceivedthebestandmostbrilliant.Forexample,ifyouseeagreen,youwouldtrytomakeitthemostintensegreenpossible.

ChromaticExpressionIntheseexamples,Iamtakingtheinspirationofnatureandaspectsofthelandscape,carefullylookingatwhatIseeandseekingtobringoutthebestormostdescriptivecolor.Sometimesthesesubjectsappearreadyandfullofpotential.AsGeorgiaO’Keeffeonceobserved,theypresentthemselvesasifalreadypainted.However,mostoftenitrequiresworktofleshouttheessenceandrevealtheattributes.ColortheoristandeducatorFaberBirrenmadethisinterestingobservation

aboutaestheticsinrelationtocolor:“Beauty(orugliness)isnotoutthereinman’senvironment,butherewithinman’sbrain….Theperceptionofcolor—includingfeelingandemotion—isthepropertyofhumanconsciousness.Ifmanisawedbywhatheseesinhissurroundings,heshouldbefarmoreimpressedbywhatlieswithinthesanctuaryofhisownbeing.Thuswheretolookiswhatisimportant,notinignorancebutinsensitiveunderstanding.”

THEOBSERVATION,SCHOOLLANEOiloncanvas.52"×58"(132cm×147cm)CollectionofChrisandSharonLeahy,Corning,NY

VIEWFROMTHELANEPastelonpreparedpaper.13"×17"(33cm×43cm)Privatecollection,Scranton,PA

Savinghighchromaforthestaroftheshow

Isavedthemostintense,high-chromacolorforthehangingtowels—forthelightonthem,applyingunmixedpaintdirectlyfromthetube—whileusingmoresubduedhuesinthebackground.Icontrastedthetemperatureinthebackground(warmer)withthatoftheforegroundhouse(cooler),partlybecausethesunwasshiningonthebackhouse.Theshadowsintheforegroundwerekeptaverymuted,darkgreen.Inthiscase,thevalueisthemostimportantaspect,asthesedarkshadowsactasaframetobringoutthelightandcolorofthetowels.Thelight/darkrelationshipbetweenthetowelsandthegrassswitchesbackandforth—insomeplaces,thetowelsaredefinedbydarkagainstlight,andinotherplaces,lightagainstdark.

WILMOTTOWNSHIPWINTERSCENEOilonlinen.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)CollectionofSkipandGinnyDeNeka,Dundee,NY

Combiningbluesandearthtones

Here,thecoolCeruleanBlueamidstthewarmertonesoftheearthandtreesmakeforanicecombination.Theplacementofthetreesandshadowswasalteredtobetterfittheformatandallowforamoreconvincingprogressionintotheimage.Unfortunately,thisoldhouseisnolongerstanding.

WINTERLIGHTTHROUGHTHEORCHARD—SUGARRUN,PAOilonpanel.22"×48"(56cm×122cm)Lightplayleadstocolorplay

Inthislate-afternoonview,Ilikedthehorizontalstreaksoflightcrossingtheroadasitappearedtonarrowinthedistance,creatinganintriguingvisualdynamic.Theunifyinglightpatternsaremoreexhilaratingthananythinginparticularaboutthelocation,andtheyalsohelporganizethepainting.Thebeautyofsnowandtheplayoflightcanprovidewonderfulinspirationfor

colorusage.Inthisinstance,theinterplayisbetweencoolandwarm.Atetradisusedforthefourmaincolorsinthispainting:thecomplementpairsofviolet/yellowandblue/orange.Thewhiteofthesnowisslightlywarm,withsomelightyellowadded,contrastingwiththelightperiwinkleblueshadows.

FracturedColorOnewaytoaddluminosityandvarietytoanygivenpassageinaworkofartistobreakupthecolor,ormodulateit.Thisissometimesreferredtoasfracturedcolor,whichsimplymeanstovarythecolorinanygivenarea.Forexample,forasky,selectingandinterspersingthreeanalogouscolors—orseveralvariationsortemperaturesofahue—willvarythecolorandpreventacertainboringregularity.Theyshouldremaincloseinvalue,however,therebycreatingsubtlegradationsofcolorforamoresophisticatedresult.Thisfracturingtechniqueworksverywellwithpastels,asthemediumiswell-

suitedtoapplyingimpressionisticdaubsofcolor.However,itworksequallywellwithoilsandotherpaintingmedia.

SPRINGHILLLANDSCAPEOiloncanvas.46"×50"(117cm×127cm)CollectionofLouKoch,Paoli,PA

Pastel-likestrokesonadarkunderpainting

Theexplosionofcolorandlightinthispaintingissetoffbythedarkunderpainting,whichalsoaccentuatesthebrushstrokes.ThislargeoilmayactuallyhavestartedasapaintingthatIwasnotsatisfiedwith,andthereforepaintedoverwithadarkmixture(probablyBurntUmberandviolet)thatwasopaqueenoughtocovertheunderlyingimage,sothatno“ghost”imageor

pentimenti(Italianfor“mistakes,”asinrepentorcorrect)wouldappear.Onotheroccasionsafterthis,Iuseddarkbutintensehuesastheprimerorundercoat.Thisprocessofworkingonadarksurfacewasnotthatdifferentfrommypastelsatthetime,whichwereoftendoneondarkcoloredpaper.Astheworkwasbeginning,IappliedthepaintinamannersimilartothewayIworkinpastel,withindividualbrushstrokesleftintactandverylittleblending.

ZIHUATANEJOBAYEVENINGPastelonpreparedpaper.16"×19 ⁄ ”(41cm×50cm)

Surfacepreparationsupportscolorapplication

TheskyinthispaintingofaMexicanseasidetowniswherefracturedcoloriscomingintoplay.Inthelightpartoftheskyisacombinationofpink,lightblue

1 2

comingintoplay.Inthelightpartoftheskyisacombinationofpink,lightblueandyellow,allappliedinstrokesoflayeredcolor.Thefractured-colorprocessisrelatedtoGeorgesSeurat’spointillism,asthecolorsallkindofmixintheviewer’seyetoformanewcolor,butwithacertainrichnessoftextureandsubtletynotpossiblewithaflat,singlepassageofcolor.Theroughsurfaceofthispreparedpaper(gessowithdiatomaceousearth)allowsforthestrokesofpasteltobebrokenupeasily.

GlazingGlazesaretransparentortranslucentlayersofthincolorusedtomodifyorenrichthecolorbeneath.Thepaintusedinglazesisusuallysuspendedinamediumoroilsuchaslinseedoil.Therearemanyglazingmediumsavailable.Theuseofglazeshasbeenoneoftheapplicationspossiblewithoilpainting

thathasappealedtoartistsforcenturies.Whenthisglazingtechniquewasdiscoveredandused,theslow-dryingprocessofoilsaddedanadvantageofblendingandmodelingthategg-basedtempera(thepredominantmediumatthetime)didnothave.Theincreasedrichnessandstrengthofcoloravailabletoartistsusingoilpaintwassoonapparent.Thereisacertainallurethattheuseofglazesseemstopromise,whichisto

suggestthattheywillgiveanyartistmarvelousresultsandbeautifulcolor.However,mybestsuggestionforglazingisnottohavetheglazesbethemainfeatureofthepainting.Glazesshouldservetoaugmentwhatthepainterisdoing,ratherthanbethefocus.Somepaintersusemanylayersofglazingmedium(Winsor&Newton’s

Liquin,forexample),oftentimesbetweeneachdayofpainting.Theprocesscanaddrichnessbybringingoutthelusterandbestnatureofthecolors,andequalizethesheen.Coveringapaintingwithalayerofmediumisespeciallyhelpfulwhencertainareasdrymorematte,orwithlesssheenthanotherareas.(BurntUmberisparticularlynotoriousforcausingthisproblem.)AnapplicationofLiquinorUtrechtglazingmediumwilleventhesheentoasatin-likegloss(notsuperglossy).Lately,IhavebeenaddingafinalcoatofUtrechtglazingmediumatthefinishofapaintingtoaccomplishthisevensheenandasaprotectivecoating.

NEWALBANYWINTEREVENINGOilonlinen.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)Privatecollection,NJ

Glazingforaglowingsunset

InthispaintingIusedsuccessiveglazestoattaintheluminouseffectofthesunlightcomingfrombehindthebarn.IusedWinsor&Newton’sLiquin,aglazingmediumthatisabouttheconsistencyofpetroleumjelly.Isuspendedsparingamountsofpigmentintothistransparentmediumtocreatetheeffectsoffilteredlight.

GlazingovertimeFlemishpainterJanvanEyck(1390–1441)isoftencreditederroneouslyforinventingtheoilpaintmedium.Itwasactuallyinuseforseveralhundredyearsbeforehim,butinlimitedscope.VanEyck’sTheArnolfiniPortraitintheNationalGalleryinLondonexemplifieshowhetookoilpainttoanunprecedentedlevelofvirtuosity,partlythroughtheuseofglazes.AmericanpainterMaxfieldParrish(1870–1966)alsousedmultiplelayersofthincolorglazestocreatehistrademarkvividandintensecolor.

IntuitiveColorTheuseofcolorinanintuitiveway,ratherthandictatedbysystemortheory,isanapproachthatmanypainterstakeasstandardprocedure.Ourcolorselectionsreflectaninnatesignatureofourselvesandofferasortofvisualfingerprint.Colorusagebynatureisgenerallyalignedwiththeemotionalandintuitiveaspectsofournature,whiledrawingandlineareassociatedwithlogicandrationality.Formostoftheworksyouseeinthisbook,theapproachthatIuseis

primarilyintuitive,allowingforthecolorchoicestoassumeaflowandnaturalselection.Thisisnottosay,however,thatsystemsandtheoriesarenotusedattimes.Oftentimesthedominantmethod,intuitiveorbysystem,willebbandflowwiththegivenworkdependingontheneedsofthepiece.OnepainterIknewoftenadvocated“askingthepaintingquestions,”ratherthandictatinganagenda.Thisattitudeseemsmoresensible,asitallowsforintuitionandletstheneedsofthepaintingspeakandbeknown.Somebelievethattheveryactofmakingcolorascience,inregardstothe

makingofart,isatoddswithitsfundamentalqualities.Theworkofthenineteenth-centuryFrenchPostimpressionistpainterGeorgesSeuratcomestomind,ashishighlysystematizeduseofcolorintoanopticexercisewasperhapsgoingagainstthegrainoropposedtothenaturalusageofcolor.Ibelieveitisbettertorelyontheorieswheninneedorinafix.Still,athoroughunderstandingofcolortheoryandconceptsonlyallowsformoretoolstosimplifythesometimesdauntingtaskofapplyingcolor.Theprocessofusingcolorintuitivelycanstillbepursuedandencouraged

eventhoughdefiningitexactlyismoreelusive.Workingonlocation(doingallaprimapaintingorpleinairwork)requiresthatyoupaintquicklyandspontaneously,whichencouragesandfacilitatestheintuitiveusageofcolor.

BROWNING’SPOND—SPRINGHILL,PAPastel.18"×22"(46cm×56cm)

Thesoftpinkofsunset

Thispleinairpastelwascompletedmostlyonasingleeveningatthesamelocationastheoilversion.Portrayingthesamesceneindifferentmediumsoffersvaryinginsightsintothesamemotif.Asthetimeofdayherewassunset,themysteryandsoftnessofthistransitionalperiodwasbestrepresentedwithsoft-edged,diffuseandblendedcolors.Thepinkofduskandsunsetisaparticularlyattractivecolorthatwasfuntoportrayhere.Thispastelhadonelayerofsomewhatfinger-blendedcolor.Then,theintegrityofthestrokesappliedinsubsequentlayerswasallowedtoremain.

BROWNING’SPOND—SPRINGHILLSOLSTICEOilonlinenonpanel.10"×36"(25cm×91cm)

Observationguidesintuitivechoices

About60to80percentofthispaintingwasdoneonlocation.Aswithallmywork,thecompositionwasthefirstobjective.Then,toorganizethevalues,Isoughtdistinctandclearareasoftonalchange.Ireservedthehigh-chromacoloraccentsforwherethelightwasthestrongest.Theintuitiveaspectcomesinchoosingthehuesthatexpressthevisionandconceptexperiencedonlocation.Inthiscase,Iusedlotsofwarmgreen(ChromiumOxideGreenandYellowOchrepluswhite)toshowthedelicateeffectofwarmlight.Toconveythetopography,Ipaidattentiontothewaythelightbathedtheland,revealingsuchdetailsashowthehillsideanglesdowntothepond.Backatthestudio,Ipuncheduptherust-coloredaccentsnearthesunlitwaterandinthepenumbraoflightinthetrees.

OVERFRENCHAZILUMOilonpanel.14"×16"(36cm×41cm)

Selectivelyexaggerateforastrongerimage

Thestudyaboveissettingupallthecompositionalelementsandvaluerelationships,alongwithlightdirection.Inthestudiopainting(atright),alloftheseaspectsareembellishedorexaggerated.Valueswereorganizedmoreclearlybymakingtheforegroundtreesandshadowsdarker.Ialsomadethesumacbushesadistinctlydifferentvaluethanthebackground.Theroundnessoftheroadismoreaccuratelydescribedbythecastshadows,andthecontrastontheroadisincreased,too.

OCTOBERVIEWOFFRENCHAZILUMWITHSUMACOiloncanvasonpanel.44"×48"(111cm×122cm)

ArrangingandPushingValuesWehaveconsideredthepurposefulalterationandmanipulationofcolorandcolorrelationships,butaconcernthatalmostnecessarilyprecedescolorselectionisvalue.Althoughitisthecolorthatisoftennoticedfirst,inorderforapainting’scolorstoworkfortheviewer,thevaluesmustreadcorrectly.Astheoldadagesays,“Colorgetsthecredit,butvaluedoesthework.”Theinteractionoflightanddarkisoftenreferredtoasthe“figure/ground”

relationship,andputsimply,itreferstowhethertheobjectsdescribedarelightagainstdarkorviceversa.Ifwecansimplifyintoanoverallcompositionaneasilydiscerniblefigure/grounddesignwithclearlyconceivedtonalrelationships,ourartworkwillbeeasierfortheviewertoread.Aswework,weoftenthinkofpunchingupthecolororaccentuatinghues,but

takinglibertywithvalue(thetonesorshades)isanothermethodweshouldalwayskeepinourarsenaloftechniques.Optionsnotoftenthoughtofenougharepushingorexaggeratingvaluerelationships—andconversely,minimizingvaluecontrastforasofter,moresubtleeffect.Thebestapproachistohavefunwithcolor,aslongasthevaluesareworking

inaccordancewithit.Oncethevaluerelationshipsareworking,youhavegreaterfreedomtoinventandaltercolor.

CADISWINTEREVENINGCharcoalandwhitepastelonpaper.9"×12"(23cm×30cm)

Snowwhite?Maybenot

Thissketchsuggestsanoveralllight/darkplan,or“figure/ground”relationship.Thevalueofthetonedpapersuppliesasuggestionoftheforegroundsnow,whichissomewhatdarkerthanthesky,eventhoughwethinkofsnowaswhite.Valuesareallrelativeandmustalwaysbecompared.

Thecorrespondingvaluerelationshipsofpurecolorwheelhues

Thecolorweuseonourpaintingsisalmostalwaysamixture,whichmakestheresultantcolorandvalueobtainedunique.Still,thisgrayscale/colorwheelcomparisonprovidesausefulstartingpointtobegintounderstandthevaluesoftubecolors(inthiscase,allWinsor&Newton).Noticethatpurewhiteislighterthantheyellow,andpureblackisdarkerthantheviolet.

APPROACHINGRAINSTORMOilonpanel.14"×16"(36cm×41cm)

Startinglight

Thisoilstudywasdoneonlocation.Workingoutdoorsprovidesartistswithfirsthandexperienceofnatureandlightinallitsvarieties.Inthiswork,theweatherconditionsprovidedadramaofdarkcloudsagainstthelightlandandroad.

SPRINGHILL,PA—MAYSTORMPastelonpaper.28"×36"(71cm×91cm)

Goingdarker,withdefinitelightdirection

Here,thevalueswerepusheddarker,mostnotablyontheroad.Thechangesinthepastelresultinrevealingalightdirection,whichinturndescribestheshapeoftheroad,theroundnessofthetreesandthelayoftheland.Themoodqualityinthispastelversionmightbemoreoptimistic,asthelightisshiningthroughfromtheright,eventhoughthecloudsaremassedonthehorizon.

MAYSTORMONSPRINGHILLOiloncanvas.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)Privatecollection

Pushingthedarksandthelights

Inthispainting,basedonthestudiesshownabove,Ihavepushedthevalueoftheskytopureblacktoemphasizethecontrastandfordramaticeffect.Inthisfinalwork,Ihavecombinedelementsofboththeoilstudyandthepastel.Forexample,thebrightnessoftheroadandthewhitebuildingsintheoilstudyarebroughtintothisversion.Theroadisalsolightened.However,thecolorformdescriptionfromthepastelisalsoincorporated.

AUGUST4THLANDSCAPEOilonlinenonpanel.10"×36"(25cm×91cm)CollectionofLindaGraves,Ithaca,NY

Usingdarkstozeroinonthelight

Thisoilwaspaintedafterariversidebikerideearlyonesummerevening.ThespotalongtheSusquehannaRiverandthedesiredtimeofdayhadbeendecidedearlierinordertogiveafocusandgoaltomysearch.Inthispainting,thedarkvaluesareoccurringclosertotheviewer,asisusuallythecase;here,theyareinthetreesoneithersideoftheroad.Thesedarkareasoftreesactasatypeofframearoundthehouse,sunandroad.ThedappledsunlightontheroadiswhatIconsideredthemainactorofthepainting,andthelightestlightsandmostchromaticcolor(theyellowandoranges)areoccurringthereandaroundthesun.

Capturinglightpatternsandrelationships

This12"×9"(30cm×23cm)pencilsketch,donewhilestandingonacrowdedbridgeinVeniceatabout10:30am,wasintendedtocapturetheoverallfeelingoflightwhileemphasizingtherelationshipsbetweentheintervalsoflightcrossingthewater.

CANALLIGHT,VENICEOilonlinenonpanel.22"×24"(56cm×61cm)

Distinctlinesoflight

Thelightcrossinginthreedistinctareasontheleft—indicatedbysharpyellowhorizontals—wasthemainattractiontothisscene.TherelationshipsbetweentheseslashesoflightiswhatIconsideredthemostimportantcompositionaldevice.ThefactthatIobservedthescenedirectlyandsketchedfromlifehelpedinformthispainting,whichwasdoneinthestudio.

EARLYMORNINGWINTERLIGHT—SUSQUEHANNAVALLEYATHOMETSFERRY,PAOiloncanvasonpanel.44"×48"(112cm×122cm)

Steppingvaluesfromforegroundtobackground

ThiscompositionalandvalueplaniswhatIconsideratypeofwindowordoorwaydevice(seetheCompositionStrategiesforCreatingDynamicMovementsection).Inthisviewoftherivervalley,thedarkestdarksareintheforegroundtrees,andthenthevaluesbecomeprogressivelylighterinthenext

groupofviolet-huedtrees.Theselayersofvaluebecomelighterastheeyemovesbackthroughthebreakinthetreestotheriverandland.

TUSCANHILLSIDE—BARGAAFTERNOONPastelonpaper.25"×17 ⁄ ”(64cm×44cm)

Latelight,deepeningshadows

TheunifyingelementinthispastelisthelastlightofaspringafternooninBarga,acharmingmedievalhilltownhighupinthemountainsofnorthwesternTuscany.Thevalueplanwastoexaggeratethedarksintheshadowsinthecentralareatobringoutthelightstreakingacrossthefieldandhousesinthemidgroundandinselectareasnearthetop.Thistimeofdaywasthegoldenhour,orlateintheafternoon,whenthebeautyofformandlightworktogethertobringoutthebestofeach.

SimultaneouscontrastThisconceptreferstousingtwocolorsthatcontrastwitheachotherandthereforebringoutoneanothertogreateradvantagethantheindividualcolorswouldhaveontheirown.Thisconceptworksbestwhenusingcomplementarycolorssuchasblueandorange.Contrastingvaluesmayemploythisdeviceaswell.Whenvaluesinadrawingaremanipulatedtoincreasethedrama,readabilityorimpactofanimage,thisisalsoanaspectofsimultaneouscontrast.

1 2

TUSCANHILLSIDELIGHT,BARGAOilonlinenonpanel.24"×28"(61cm×71cm)CollectionofDavidZarko,Scranton,PA

Pushingthedarkstoemphasizethelight

Inthisoilversion,donelateintheday,thedarksweremadedarkertoexaggeratethelight.Thedramaoflighthelpstocarveoutthesceneintodistinctvaluepatterns,andthenitisuptotheartisttobringoutthisquality.Forexample,thedarksinthemidground(onthewallandhillsideofthetown)worktosilhouettetheforegroundgrapevineontheleft.Thehouseattheendofthe

tosilhouettetheforegroundgrapevineontheleft.Thehouseattheendoftheroadisbasicallyamidtoneagainstdark,andthevinesarelightandmidtoneagainstdark.

STRADAFORNACETAWITHONECAT—LASTLIGHT,BARGAPastelonpaper.18"×23"(46cm×58cm)Fromvaluetovalue

AtfirstIwantedtodoanoilpaintingonsite,butafterdroppingmybrushesoverthesteepwallintothegardenbelow,Ihadnorecoursebuttoawaitthehomeowners’return.Tomakethemostofmytime,Ididthispastel.Thecatwaswatchingadoor,fromwhichawomaneventuallyemergedwithscrapsofmeat.

Thehouseisthefocus,definedprimarilybyvirtueofitbeingamid-valueagainstmostlythedarksaroundit,althoughthereareotherareassuchastheroofwherethefigure/groundrelationshipswitches.Ideally,youwanttoseeanoverallvaluerelationship,meaningasimplifiedlightondark,oramidtoneonlight,oradarkonmidtone,etc.However,intherealworld,suchwell-definedorganizationsarenotalwaysavailableinourchosenmotifs.

MORNINGLIGHTONTHEPINKHOUSE—STRADAFORNACETA,BARGAOiloncanvas.11"×14"(28cm×36cm)Privatecollection,NJDefinitivelightfordrama

IreturnedtothesamespotinBargatwoyearslatertopaintanoil,thistimeinthemorning.Thesunwasshiningdownfromtheupperleft,creatinganengagingpatternoflightandcastshadows.Thehouseisagainthemainactor

engagingpatternoflightandcastshadows.Thehouseisagainthemainactorhere,andevenmoreinthespotlight.Thevalueofthehouseisnowlighterinthesunlitareas,whichfurtherdramatizesitandcontrastswiththedarkbackground.

OILDEMONSTRATION

Farmland:WorkinginHigh-ChromaColorThisoilpaintingbeganasademonstrationfortheElmiraRegionalArtSocietyinElmira,NewYork.IusedseveralphotosthatIhadpreviouslytakenforreference.Ilaterfinishedthepaintinginmystudio.Itmayhaverequiredanothersixtoeighthourstocomplete.Moredetailedandcomplicateddesignswouldrequiremoretime.Mymaingoalhereistoshowtheuseofhighchroma(intensecolors)ina

clarifieddesignofthelandscapethatincorporatesdistinctvaluecontrasts.Inotherwords,forthesecreativecolorchoicesthataresomewhatofadeparturefromthelocalcolors,thereneedstobedifferencesinthevalues(relativelightanddark).

MaterialsSurface:Stretchedmedium-weavelinen,36"×40"(91cm×102cm)Paintcolors:AlizarinCrimson•BurntSienna•BurntUmber•CadmiumOrange•CadmiumRedLight•CadmiumYellow•CeruleanBlue•PermanentRose•PhthaloGreen•PrussianBlue•UltramarineBlue•VenetianRed•White•YellowGreen(Utrecht)Other:NeutralGrayacrylicpaint(Utrecht)

STEP1:SketchthemainshapesanddivisionsTintthesurfacewithNeutralGrayacrylicfirst.Thenstartwithverysimpledivisionsofspaceandaquickappraisaloftherelationshipsbetweentheobjects.Inbeginningthesetypesoflandscapes,Ifocusonthedesignqualityandsearchfortheabstractessence,movingbackandforthwithmyarmheldoutandbrushwieldedinaloosemanner.Takeintheoverallimageanddon’tbecometooengrossedinanyonedetail.ThisdrawingislaidinwithBurntSienna,butanydarkcolorwilldo.Indicatethecenterandthefourquadrantpointswithlightmarkstoassistwithplacement.

andthefourquadrantpointswithlightmarkstoassistwithplacement.Withoutacenter,itisdifficulttocreateaneffectiverhythmandplacekeyelements.

STEP2:Continuesketching,mindingperspectiveFurthersketchinthebasicshapesbutwithoutanydetail.Theeyelevelhereislocatedinthefieldjustbelowthebuildings.Theplacementoftheeyelevelsomewhereotherthandirectlyinthecentermakesforabetterdistributionofshapes.Theeyelevelisonlyimpliedhere,becausethereisnospecificlandmarkorhorizonexactlyontheeyelevel.However,theperspectiveanglesoftherooflinesneedtotaketheeyelevelintoconsiderationinordertowork.

STEP3:BlockintheinitialcolorsBegintoaddcolor,withattentiontogettingthevaluestowork.Here,thegoldofthefieldbringsoutthesumacbecauseitisalightervalue.Atthisstage,thepaintingisstillcomposedofrelativelylargeflatareasofbroadcolor,withtheexceptionofthehouseroofandsilo,whereyou’llbegintosuggestlightdirectionandforms.Thecolorsyouuseneednotberestrictedtolocal(oractual)color.You

caninventcolorasyoufeelinspired,whilestillmaintainingtherealismoftheimage.SinceIliketobringoutthechromainherentinanyscene,thecolorhereispurposelypushedtomoreintensehues.

Sky:WhitewithPermanentRose,someAlizarinCrimsonandUltramarineBlueSumacbrushintheforeground:MixtureofCadmiumRedLightand

VenetianRedMountain:CombinationofUltramarineBlue,whiteandsomeCerulean

BlueLargeswathofgoldenfield:CadmiumOrange,CadmiumYellowand

whiteGreenareaoffield:YellowGreen(Utrecht)mixedwithwhiteDarkergreenareasoftreesandbrush:PhthaloGreentoneddownwith

AlizarinCrimsonandBurntUmberBuildings:UltramarineBlueandPrussianBluetoneddownwithBurnt

Umberandsomewhite

OCTOBERSUMAC,NEARSTOWELL,PAOilonlinen.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)

STEP4:CreatecontrastanddimensionwithvaluechangesAsyourpaintingprogresses,giveattentiontocontrastingvalues.Thevaluerelationshipsarecrucialinordertomaketheobjectscommunicateandthecolorwork.Whileadjustingcolorsforclarityandcontrast,theothergoalhereistoarticulateform,whichmeansbringingoutthetopographyandtheshapesofthebuildingsaswellascarvingoutthesculpturalqualityofthetreesandbushesbyaddinghighlightsandpushingdarkstobestronger.Inthisstage,morewhitewasaddedtothe

pushingdarkstobestronger.Inthisstage,morewhitewasaddedtotheskytolightenthehorizon.ItoneddowntheblueinthebarnandhousebutalsomadethemdarkerwithmoreBurntUmber.Thefinishedpainting—alooseworkwithclearpatterns—retainssome

oftheimmediacyofthesketch.Duringthisfinalstage,Ibroughtoutazigzagor“Z”patternbysuggestingthedirectionofgrainandshadowsinthegoldfield,thenveeringofftotherightandsharplybacktotheleftagainwiththegreensliverofgrassintheupperright.

OILDEMONSTRATION

GorgeWaterfall:DevelopingaWarmColorSchemeInthisgorgescene,ourgoalistoportraythebeautyoflightwhilecreatingarhythmicflowthroughthepictorialspace.Wewanttoaccentuatethelight,andtodothiswewillchooseamorelimitedpalettetobringoutthescene’sluminosity.Awarmcolorschemeperfectlysuitsthisautumnscene,aswellasthelate-afternoonlightknownasthegoldenhour.Glazingwillbeusedforthefinalapplicationsofpaint,primarilyinareasofsunlight.

MaterialsSurface|Stretchedmedium-weavelinen,26"×30"(66cm×76cm)Paintcolors|BurntSienna•BurntUmber•CadmiumYellowLemon•CadmiumOrange•CadmiumRedLight•ChromiumOxideGreen•HansaYellow•NaplesYellow•PhthaloGreen•UltramarineBlue•VenetianRed•White•YellowOchreOther|NeutralGrayacrylicpaint(Utrecht)•Glazingmedium(Utrecht)

STEP1:CreatearhythminyoursketchBegindrawingonacanvastintedwithNeutralGrayacrylic.Atthisstage,worktocreatearhythmthroughoutthecanvas.Inthisinstance,itissomewhatofazigzagpattern,startingwiththeheronontherightandthenworkingupthroughthewaterfalltothespaceinthetrees,andthenbacktothesun.

STEP2:LayinthelightestanddarkestareasBeginpaintingthelightsintheskywhilecarvingoutthesilhouettesofthetrees.Fortheselightcolorsinthesky,useCadmiumYellowLemon,HansaYellow,CadmiumOrangeandwhite.Forthetreesattheridgecrest,useCadmiumRedLight,BurntSienna,VenetianRedandCadmiumOrange.Thenstartlayinginthedarkervaluesinthewater,usingBurntUmber

mixedwithPhthaloGreenandBurntSienna.

STEP3:MidtonesnextStartworkinginthemidtonesandthedarksofthegorgewalls,usingYellowOchre,ChromiumOxideGreenandBurntUmber.Inthewaterintheforeground,increasethewarmthbyusingmoreVenetianRedandBurntSienna.

STEP4:DevelopthewaterandthedarksBegindevelopingthewaterfall—inthiscase,usingawarmgray.Forthewaterthatisreflectingthewaterfall,keepthetemperaturecoolerwhilemakingthevaluedarkeraswell.Forthisareaofreflection,usewhitewithUltramarineBlueandsomePhthaloGreenwithwhite.Forthewaterfallitself,usewarmergraysthroughout,especiallyasthewaternearsthetopclosetothesun.ThesewarmergraysareachievedwithwhitemixedwithYellowOchreandajustatadofUltramarineBlue.Pushthedarksdarkerthroughoutthepainting.

AUTUMNALASCENT—FRONTENACOilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)CollectionofBojanPetek,Croton-on-Hudson,NY

STEP5:AddglazesoflightInthisfinalstage,thereareseverallayersofglazedlightappliedinandaroundthesunandonthecoruscatingglintontherippledwaterintheforeground.Theglazeisappliedinthinlayerswithminimalamountofpigmenttocreateatransparentveiloflight.ThecolorsintheseglazesincludesmallamountsofNaplesYellowandHansaYellowwithwhitemixedintoUtrechtglazingmedium.Thevaluesaregoingincreasinglylighterastheynearthetopofthe

Thevaluesaregoingincreasinglylighterastheynearthetopofthewaterfallandclosertothesun.Thedarker,intenseblacksofthewatercreatemorecontrastwiththeheronintheforeground;thatandtheheron’ssharperedgesmovethebirdclosertotheviewer.Thiscompositionwasdevelopedtoleadtheviewerthroughakindofzigzagstartingatthelowerleft,thenmovingbackandforthwhilesteppingupthelayersofrockandoutthegapinthetrees,toreturntothesunandbackinagain.

OILDEMONSTRATION

VineyardSunset:GlazingforLuminosityAlthoughIseldomuseglazes,Idecidedthatthisworkwouldbenefitfromglazingtoassistincreatingtheglowoflatesummerwarmthandatmosphere.Ialsowantedtouselayersoftransparentpaint,whichwouldallowaspectsofeachunderlyingcolortoshowthroughsomewhatandcreateanuanceofvarioustonesandhues.Theuseofglazingmediumalsoacceleratesthedryingtime,sooilpaint

beginstohavetheadvantagesoffusingandblendingbutalsoapproachestheadvantagesoffast-dryingacrylicaswell.Oneoftheadvantagesisthatthepaintsetsupquickertoallowsubsequentlayersoreventhickerimpastoapplicationsduringthesamedayofpaintingorveilsofglazeonthefollowingdays.

MaterialsSurface|Stretchedmedium-weavelinen,38"×44"(97cm×112cm)Paintcolors|BurntUmber•CadmiumOrange•CadmiumRedLight(orCadmiumScarlet)•CadmiumYellowDeep•CeruleanBlue•CobaltBlue•HansaYellow•NaplesYellow•PermanentRose•PhthaloGreen•UltramarineBlue•White•YellowOchreOther|RawSiennaacrylicpaint•Cloveoil•Glazingmedium(Utrecht)

STEP1:OrganizetheshapesandcreateapathFirst,tintthesurfacewithalayerofRawSiennaacrylicpaintthinnedwithwater.Thiscolorwaschosenforitswarmth,whichwillbeallowedtoinfluencethesubsequentcolorapplication,throughtheglazingprocessandalsoaspartsofitremainexposedatthefinish.BeginyourdrawingusingBurntUmberwithasmallamountofcloveoil

added(toslowthedryingtime,onlyinthedrawingstage),whilepayingattentiontotheoveralldistributionofshapesandtheirinteraction.Organizethecloudsintolayersthatmakeupthelargestareaoftheimage,rememberingtheeyelevelandperspective.Azigzagleadstheeye,initiallyfollowingthegrassyareabetweenthevineyards.

STEP2:CarveoutthecloudsBegincarvingoutthegeneralsilhouetteofthecloudshapes.Thisprocesskeepstheoverallfigure/groundrelationship(lighttodarkarrangement)simplifiedandclear.Inthiscasethecloudsaredefinedasdarkshapesagainstthelightofthesky.Thiswillchangeandmodulatesomeasthepaintingprogresses.StartbypaintingtheskyatthetopusingCobaltBlueandUltramarineBluewithwhiteandasmallamountofNaplesYellowmixedinforwarmth.Astheskyapproachesthehorizon,eliminatethebluehuesandusejustthewarmcolorsofYellowOchre,NaplesYellowandwhite.Astheskystretchesouttothenorthortotheright,mixinasmallamountofPermanentRoseforatouchofpink.Thisisfurtherbroughtoutinsubsequentstages.

isfurtherbroughtoutinsubsequentstages.

STEP3:FillinthecloudsandwarmuptheskyAddwarmerhuesofCeruleanBlueandNaplesYellowintotheskymixtureatthetopalongwithwhite.Begintopainttheclouds,usingwarmcolorseveninthegraytounifythewarmth.PaintthemwithamixtureofYellowOchre,NaplesYellow,BurntUmberandUltramarineBluewithwhite.Adjustingthelevelsofthesecolorstocreateawarm-huedcloudcanbeverychallenging.Thegoalistocreateanairyeffectwithgraycolorthatiswarmbutnotmuddy.Asthecloudnearsthesun,addmorewarm,lighttones,includingHansaYellow,CadmiumYellowDeep,NaplesYellowandwhite.Minimalamountsofthewarmyellowswillgoa

NaplesYellowandwhite.Minimalamountsofthewarmyellowswillgoalongwaytocreateintensityincertainareaswithoutoverstatingthechromathroughout.Atthispointwehavenotusedanyglazinginthepainting.

STEP4:BeginglazingMakethefirststatementofthetreesinthemidgroundbyapplyingfairlychromatic(intense)warmhuestosuggestthesunbleedingthrough.Applyafirstlayerofglazingintheforegroundandinthetrees,withacoatofgoldencolor(comprisedofvaryingdegreesofYellowOchre,CadmiumOrangeandCadmiumRedLightorCadmiumScarlet)thinnedwithglazingmedium.Intheskyandmountain,increasethegoldencolor

withglazingmedium.Intheskyandmountain,increasethegoldencoloraroundthesunwithglazedwarmtones.

STEP5:SoftenthescenewithmoreglazesNowamoreconcertedglazingprocessbegins.Useglazingmediumtothinoutthepaintandtoassistinsmoothingandsofteningedges.Todevelopthelightonthedistantmountainandthecolorinthetreesinfrontofthelakeandintheclouds,applyseverallayersofthin,semitransparentcolor.Iamusingsomefairlyintense,warmhueshere,CadmiumOrangeandHansaYellow,alongwiththemoresubtleNaplesYellowwithwhite.Renderthecloudsmoreairyandatmosphericbylighteningthemandsofteningtheedgeswhilearticulatingsomeofthe

lighteningthemandsofteningtheedgeswhilearticulatingsomeofthesubtlelayersandshapes.Alsoaddanotherlayeroflighterbutmutedbluetotheskyusingtheglaze,whichalsohelpstosoftentheedgesbetweentheskyandclouds.Theupperareasofthecloudshavesomeareasofslightlydarkerpatchesthatwereachievedbygoingslightlycooler,usingUltramarineBlueandBurntUmberwithwhite.ThepurposeofaddingBurntUmberintothecombinationforthesegraysistomitigateorlessenthecoolnessoftheUltramarineBlue.Iamafteramoreneutralgrayhere.Sometimes,IgetthesameneutralgraybycombiningPhthaloGreenandPermanentRose(nearopposites,tocanceleachother)withwhite.Intheforegroundandmidgroundareas,begintodevelopthedetails

andarticulatethetopographyincolorsofyourchoice.Keepthelightdirectioninmind,asthelightwilldescribetheshapeofthegraduallyslopinghillandthehorizontalfurrowsinthegrass.Thevinesarecatchingthelighttoo,asthesunilluminatesthemfrombehind.

JULYEVENINGLIGHT—SENECALAKE,BURDETT,NYOilonlinen.38"×44"(97cm×112cm)

STEP6:RefinethecolorsanddetailsTheoverallcolorschemeofthispaintingispredominantlywarm,withalimitedpalette.Thelighteffectsarecreatedbysubtlecontrastofvaluewithintheselectedrangeofthiswarmpalette.Furthersoftenandlightenselectareas—suchastheglowonthemountainbelowthesunandthereducedvaluecontrastinthevinesinfrontofwherethesuniscomingthroughthetreesfromthelake—byusingalayerofmostlyYellowOchreandperhapssomeNaplesYellow.Addwarmlightsinthetreestosoftlyarticulateroundnesswhileshowinglightdirection.Someoftheintensity

articulateroundnesswhileshowinglightdirection.Someoftheintensitymayneedtobetoneddown;forexample,intherayoflightontheleft,theorangishcolorwaslightenedandpushedtowardalightochre(NaplesYellow—beingthelow-chromacolor—mixedwithwhite).Finally,applyanotherlayeroftheglazingmediumtounifythelevelof

gloss.ThisfinalglazeisoftenrequiredmoresoinpaintingsthatuseBurntUmberandothercolorsthatfrequentlydrywithadullormattequality.TheUtrechtandLiquinbrandsofglazingmediumareverysimilarandimpartasheenorlusterthatismorelikesatinratherthanhighgloss.

CHAPTERTHREE

expressingthroughcomposition&format

Theemphasisofthischapterisonapproachingcompositionthroughanawarenessofbordersandtherelationshipswithin.Takingtheformat(oroverallshape)ofapaintingintoconsiderationisanessentialpreliminarysteptocreatingeffectivecompositions.Wewillalsoexaminevariousstructuraldesignplansforpaintings.Becomingacquaintedwithsomeofthesebasicapproachestoorganizingtheflowandkeyelementsofapainting,wewillarriveatabetterunderstandingofcompositionalharmonyandhowtoaccomplishitinourartwork.

APRILTHAW—VALLEYNEARMEHOOPANY,PAOilonlinen.54"×60"(137cm×152cm)CourtesyofWestEndGallery,Corning,NY

Onthisparticularmorning,thepastweekend’sbigsnowhadalreadystartedtomeltandhugedriftswerecarvedoutinhighrelief.Ipaintedasmalloildowninthisvalley,nexttoalittlestreamthatwasrunningfreshwithsnowmelt.Thisviewofthevalleypresentsonlytheland,withoutthefarms.

ExploringFormatPossibilitiesWhenwefirstbegintoconsideroursubjectandhowwewillportrayit,itiscrucialtotakeintoaccounttheshapeorformatofthecanvasorsurface.Justcarryinganycanvasoutoftheartstoreandacceptingitsformatasagivenwithouttakingintoaccountyourgoalsfortheparticularpaintingwillundermineyourwork.Tryingavarietyofformatsrevealsthepotentialinanygivenscene.Thisis

whyIliketoexperimentwithsizesthatarenot“standard,”orthetraditionalprestretchedsizes.Byselectingavarietyofformatstoexploreagivenscene,itwillshowthatbymerelyconsideringtheconfinesofourpicturespace,wewilladdanewsenseoforderandstructuretoourwork.Additionally,inourquesttoappreciatethedynamicsofcomposition,weneed

toconsiderthefourmostimportantlinesinanywork:thefourbordersoroutsideedgesthatdefineit,andtheresultingshapeorformat.Whyisitsoimportanttoconsidertheboundariesofourpaintingsurface?Becausesomeartistsregardtheedgestobeindispensableasameanstogaugerelationshipsandinteractionwithinacomposition.Secondly,Ithinkitisnecessaryto“honorthecenter”ofthework,whichmeanstorecognizeit(oftenwithamarkofsomekind)inordertoaccessandgaugealltherestofthemajorandminorspatialdivisions.Ioftenusethe“movableborders”or“forgivingmethod”ofsketching,the

ideabeingtoallowforimprovementinthecompositionbyextendingtheformatifneeded.Forme,thefirstpurposeofapreliminarysketchistoarriveataneffectivedistributionofshapes,andifwejustdrawonasketchpadwithoutfirstmakingborders,itisnearlyimpossibletoadequately“honorthecenter”andthereforemakemeaningfuldecisionsabouttheoverallrelationshipsandintervals.Valuerelationships,details,modelingandarticulationofformallcomelater,afterthefoundationandarmatureisestablished.Gettingalltheelementsofapaintingtoworkharmoniouslyisthegoalof

creatingdynamicdesigns,andpurposivelyworkingwithvariedformatsisone

creatingdynamicdesigns,andpurposivelyworkingwithvariedformatsisonewaytofosteranddevelopourdesignskills.

VENICESHEETSOiloncanvasonpanel.18"×20"(46cm×51cm)CollectionofEdandWandaMcNamara,NewCumberland,PA

Nearlysquare

InthisviewofastreetneartheGiardino,adistrictinVenice,warmlate-afternoonsunlightstreamsthroughacascadeoflaundryhangingbetweenthebuildings.Ilikethisoff-squareformatforthetensioncreatedbythedifferenceindimensions,andalsobecausetheelongatedsquareisnotquiteperceivedasa

dimensions,andalsobecausetheelongatedsquareisnotquiteperceivedasarectanglebutiseasiertocomposewithinthanatruesquare.Thesheets,shownindiagonalandhorizontaloverlappinglayers,allleaddownandtowardtheendofthestreet.Thesunlightiscomingbacktowardusintheoppositedirection,castingshadowsandfilteringthroughthetowelsandsheets.

EARLYAPRIL—HOLLENBACK,PAOilonpanel.24"×48"(61cm×122cm)CollectionofTerryandBarbKeeney,SugarRun,PA

Elongatedhorizontalallowsformoreinclusion

Thislittlecommunityhasaclassictimelessnesstoit,asifitwerestill1930.Manysuchsmalltownshadschools,stores,churchesandeverythingelseneededforbasicliving.ThissectionofSugarRunCreek,calledthePantherLick,isapopularspotforspringtroutfishing,soIcouldimaginethetroutinitscold,clearwaters.Thiselongatedhorizontalformatallowedmetoincludemorethanastandard-sizecanvaswould.Theroadleadstheviewerinfromthelowerleftandthenguidestheeyearoundinawideovalandbackdownthestream,afterpausingtoappreciatethebuildings.Thelightstreamingacrosstheroadwithheightenedcolorcontinuesthemovementofthestream.

LASTLIGHTOFAWINTERDAY—ROADFROMNEWALBANY,PAOilonpanel.10"×36"(25cm×91cm)CollectionofSteveandMarieFitzsimmons,Wyalusing,PA

Extremehorizontalforapanoramicview

ThisroadbetweenWyalusingandNewAlbanyinPennsylvaniarollsoverbeautifulhillsandpastmanydelightfulviews.Theroadleadsusintothispanoramicimageandisbolsteredbythetelephonelines.Theclusterofbuildings,houseandbarntotheleftoftheroadserveasafocalpoint.Thelateafternoonlightisrestrictedtojustcertainareas,andthelightdescribestheterrainasitflowsoverandaroundtheearthandtrees.Ilovethewaycolorisheightenedattheendoftheday,lendingarust-likehuetothetreetops.

JANUARYAFTERNOON—OAKHILLS,PAPastelonpaper.30"×36"(76cm×91cm)

Adjustmentsandopportunities

OftenIrecreatethesameviewinvariousmediumsjusttoexploreitspotential—inthiscase,theviewalonganoldstonewallonawarmwinterday.Theredoakleavesaddanicenoteofcolortotheforeground.Theoff-squareformatwasorganizedherebypushingthestonewallandtreesfartotheleft,whichinturnbringsouttheplayoflightonthelargeexpanseofthefield.Usingareasofopenspaceisaneffectivetoolforstrengtheningcompositions.Thefeelingoflighton

spaceisaneffectivetoolforstrengtheningcompositions.Thefeelingoflightonmeltingsnowgivesusthatappreciationandanticipationofspring.

OAKHILLSSTONEWALL,MELTINGSNOWOilonlinen.54"×30"(137cm×76cm)

Oilonlinen.54"×30"(137cm×76cm)CollectionofPaulaBainbridgeandEricGregorie,Athens,PA

Shiftingthefocus

Thiselongatedverticalformatbringstheoldwallintoprominencemore,givingtheviewerachancetoappreciatethelaborandcraftofbuildingthesestoneborders.

MAYEVENING—OAKHILLS,PAOilonpanel.10"×36"(25cm×91cm)CollectionofJeanneandDonJackson,Haddonfield,NJ

Awiderview

Anelongatedhorizontalformatallowsustoincludemoreofthescene.Inthispainting,theseasonwasalsodifferentthanintheothertwoworksonthispage,andthevantagepointchangedtotheothersideofthewallandroad.Thisformatandvantagepointallowsformultiplepointsofinterest:thesun,filteringlight,castshadowsanddistantbuildings.

AUTUMNVALLEYSCENE,NEARMEHOOPANY,PAOilonlinen.30"×60"(76cm×152cm)

Choosingtheformatthatbestsetsthescene

Thisbeautifulvalleystretchesbetweentwomountains,presentingmanyintriguingviews.Thehorizontalformatofthispaintingaccentuatesthepanoramicorwide-openspaceofthescenedepicted.Thelightcomingfromtheleftisaccentuatedasitflowsoverthemountainsanddescribesthetopographyofthevalley.

JULYCLOUDS,MEHOOPANY,PAOilonlinen.18"×20"(46cm×51cm)

Lookingskyward

Thispaintingexploresthesamevalleyasthepreviousone,butfromadifferentangleandusinganotherformat.Thisoff-squareformat,withtheclusteroffarmbuildingsplacedlowinthecomposition,emphasizesthedominantskyandopenatmosphere.Therelativelysmallareaofman-madestructures(thebuildings)contrastswiththewideexpanseofnature(thesky),makingthisworkastudyinopposites.

CompositionStrategiesforCreatingDynamicMovementCreatingasenseofflowthroughyourworkandorchestratingthesequenceofeventsormainplayersinapaintingisoneofthefundamentalbuildingblocksofmasteringcompositionandshouldbeconsideredbeforeanydetails.Itisalsooneofthemostrewardingprocessesofpicturemaking,asitentailsadialogueorworkingrelationshipwhereyou,astheartist,enterintoarolenotunlikethatofadirectorofaplayortheauthorofanovel.Youareassuminganactiveandcreativerole,ratherthanaservileoneofmerelytranscribingthegivenvisualinformation.Therearemanystrategiestoconsidertocreateaflowandrhythminand

aroundyourcompositions.Ponderingtherelationshipsofthemainelementsofyourworkandhowtheyareworkingtogetherisalsovital,asistheorganizationofintervals.Intervalsarereallythekeytoeffectivecomposition,andasinmusic,thecadenceorrhythmandflowfollowedbytheviewerthroughourarrangementsishowtheoverallbeauty,andevenmusicality,ofaworkisobtained.Thefollowingsketchespresentsimplifieddesignconcepts,eachaneffective

methodofcreatingaflowintoandaroundthepicturesurfaceandwithintheillusionaryspace.Eachisasymmetrical,whichmeansthatthecenterofinterestispositionedawayfromthecenterofthedesign.Eachalsoaimstocreateaharmoniousrelationshipbetweenthemajorshapesandelementsofapainting.

TheartofpaintingYoumayapproachpaintingasjustmerereporting,aprocessofratherservileduplication.Butwhenwebegintoselectourvantagepointsjudiciously,wecanfindspotstopaintthatstartoutwithpotential,andthenfurtherarrange,alterorfine-tuneastheconceptleadstomoreelaboratestudioversions.Whenyoubegintoconsiderpaintingintheseterms,itbecomesanactthatbringsoutthe“art”orinherentbeautyinthepaintingprocess.

“S”orserpentine

The“S”orserpentinedesignimpartsanaturalflowthatleadstheviewer’seyeinandaroundtheimageandbackintospace.The“S”designcanallowthepaintertocreatearhythmorbringoutthenaturalrhythmofalmostanyscene,andtoarrangeelementstoleadtheviewertocertainareas.

“Z”orzigzag

Thisplanislesssubtlethanthe“S”design,butmoredynamicduetotheangularandsuddenchanges.The“Z”orzigzagmethodofcomposinghasgreatpotentialfordirectingtheviewerinadynamicjourney.Whenplacingkeyobjectswithinanimage,theycanbelocatedatthechange-of-directionpoints.

“O”orcircle

Thecircleinthisdesignisplacedoff-center,makingtheplanasymmetrical,andthenthemainelementsofthepaintingareplacedaroundthecircle.

WINTERSOLSTICELANDSCAPE—COLLEY,PAOiloncanvas.30"×64"(76cm×163cm)diptych

Zigzaggingintoascene

Thiszigzagcompositionwascarriedoutasplannedinthesketch.YoucanseethatIwasplanningtodoadiptych(ortwo-panelpainting)earlyonintheconceptionofthework.Thediptychformatwasusedintheoiltotakethesketchprocessintothefinalstageandmakeitaninherentpartofthefinish.When

processintothefinalstageandmakeitaninherentpartofthefinish.Whenusingthe“movableborders”or“forgivingmethod”ofsketching,theideaistoallowforimprovementinthecompositionbyextendingtheformatifneeded.So,intheoilshown,IjustcontinuedwhatIbeganinthesketch.

SUMMERMIST—COLLEY,PAOilonpanel.14"×16"(36cm×41cm)

Circularmovement

Inthissmalloil,thereisanoffsetcirculardesignatwork.Althoughratherunderstated,thereissomewhatofacircularcontainmentformedbythebottomofthebales,thenupandaroundandredirectedbackdownthroughthecurving

vaporontheupperright.Thiscircularmethodcomesintousebestwhenthereisanaturallyoccurringarchorcircle,suchasthebendoftreebranch,thearchofabridge,adoorwayorevenarainbow.

Radiatinglines

Radiatinglinesinfieldsandotherelementsinnaturecanbeusedtodirecttheeyetoadesiredfocalpoint.

Perspectivelines

Thisdesignissimilartoradiatinglinesbutusesman-madestructuressuchasroadstoleadtheeyetoakeyspot.Theselinesofperspectivearecalledorthogonals.

Overlapping

Overlappingisamethodparticularlyeffectiveforachievingdepthandrecessionofspace.Inthiscase,circularbalesofhayareoverlapped,leadingtheeyeintothescene.

Triangleorpyramid

Inthisdesign,themainelementsarearrangedinatriangularpresentation.Noticethatthetriangleisoff-centerandtiltedfordynamiceffect.

EDINGERHILLOCTOBEROilonpanel.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

Creatingasenseofspace

Theroadandpositioningofthebalesareworkingtogethertoaugmenttheillusionofspace.Theforegroundbaleoverlappingtheoutbuildingandthedifferenceinthesizeofthebalesalladdstotheperspectiveandrecessionintospace.

EDINGERHILLSTUDYOilonpanel.10"×30"(25cm×76cm)

Encouragingtheeyetolinger

ThiswaspaintedfromthetailgateofmytruckonarelativelywarmJanuary,asthefullmoonwasrising.Theseelongatedhorizontalformatsaresimilartoafriezeinancientstatuary,likegroupsofmarblefiguresatoptheParthenon,inhowtheyareorganized.Thesimilarityisthatonereadsacrosstheimage,whilelingeringfordetailsandmainpointsofinterest.Inthispainting,theroadleadsusin,butthefinallightiscatchingjustthetopofthehouseandtrees,andfinallymovingovertotherisingmoon.Thehousebecomesthemainfocus,withthemoonandthepointwheretheroadendsatopthehillformingotherpointsofinterest—allthreeformingatypeofinteriortriangle.

TOWNSCAPE,NICHOLSON,PAOilonlinen.52"×54"(132cm×137cm)CollectionofPatsel’sRestaurant,Dalton,PA

Overlappingtosteptheviewerintoascene

Themassiveviaductdominatesthisviewofasmalltown.Thetwoothersmallerbridgesarealsointerestingsupportingelements.Theroofsofthenineteenth-centuryhouseswereoverlappingfromthisangle,whichassistedincreatingavisualprogressionintothework.

Doorwayorportal(natural)

Thissimplifiedlandscapesketchshowshowusingtreestoformadoororwindowcanformaneffectiveframingdevicetoleadtheeyeintotheimage.

Doorwayorportal(man-made)

ThisthumbnailcityscapesketchisbasedontheTiberRiverinRome.Usingbridgearches,asIhavedonehere,orotherarchitecturalformscanalsoactasadoorwayorportalintotheimage.

Cruciform(natural)

Thissimplifiedsketchillustratestheideaoforganizingthepainting’smaincomponentsintoabroadcrossorcruciformshape.Inthiscase,thecruciformisformedbynaturalelementsinariverscape.

Cruciform(natural/man-made)

Thisthumbnailsketchofastonewallinalandscapehasbeenorganizedsothescene’smainelements(bothnaturalandman-made)fallintoageneralizedcrossorcruciformshape.

AUTUMNROAD—SPRINGHILL,PAOiloncanvas.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)Privatecollection,NJ

Combiningdesignstrategies

Ilovetheswoopofthislandscapeastheroadleadsdownthroughthedipanduptheotherside.Thispaintingutilizesahybridtypeofcomposition.Itcombinessomeelementsofthe“S”design,astheroadwindsintoandoverthelandscape,andatthesametimetheroaddividestheformatinanasymmetricalway(offsettotheleft),makingatypeofcruciformarrangementaswell.

LUMINOUSLANDSCAPEOilonlinen.42"×46"(107cm×117cm)

“X”design

Thecenterofthe“X”—wherethefocalpointwillgo—isdynamicallyplacedoff-center.Thissketchillustratesthemainarmatureofthenextlandscapesketch.

“X”marksthespot

Theskydominatesinthissunsetscene.Alargeareaofcloudsservestodrawattentiontothefeaturedperformers—theclusterofsun,house,roadanddappledlight—whicharepositionedoff-centertothelowerleft,atthecenterofthe“X.”Thisfocalareaisalsowherethedarkestandlightesttonesofthepaintingreside.

EnsuringDynamicPointsofInterestTherearesomeeasywaystoensuregoodplacementofdynamicpointsofinterestinyourpainting.Theywillhelpyouavoidplacingthekeyelementsofyoursceneinastaticpositionordirectlyinthecenterofthecanvas.However,wedon’thavetostubbornlyinsistthatourcompositionsalwayslandeverythingindynamicpoints.Theidea,though,istobecomeacquaintedwithbasicdesignelementsofharmonyandspatialdistribution.Onceweknowtherules,wecanmoreeffectivelybreakthemorplaywiththem.

Thediamond-and-“X”method

Inthismethodofplottingdynamicpoints,simplymakeadiamondonyourcanvasandthenan“X”fromthecorners.Thepointsofintersectiononthesidesofthediamondarethebestplacestoputkeyelements.Thismethodapplieswhethertheformatisarectangleorasquare.

Theruleofthirds

Inthismethod,simplydivideyourcanvasintothirds,asifitwereatic-tac-toeboard.Theintersectionsaredynamicplacestolocatekeyelements.Thismethodcanbeappliedregardlessoftheshapeofyourcanvas.

Variationinintervals

Composingwithattentiontointervals—thespacesbetweenobjectsandshapes—willalsohelpyoudynamicallyplacetheelementsofyourpainting.Ratherthanasymmetricaldesignwithalltheobjectsevenlyspaced—resultinginapredictable,boringarrangement—altertheintervals,asIdidwiththesehouses,cloudsandmountains.

WINTERMORNINGLIGHT—CLAPPERHILL,PAOilonlinen.30"×40"(76cm×102cm)

Aloweyelevelforadynamicdivisionofspace

Inthisscene,Iwasattractedtothewarmlightstreakinghorizontallyacrossthelawnandbuildings.Theeyelevelispurposefullysetquitelowonthecanvastosetupaninherentlydynamicdivisionofspace.Theprimaryverticalisthelarge,darktreeintheforeground,butthenexttreetotheleftaugmentsthisdivision.Thejunctureofthehorizontalstreakoflightandthesecondarytreeislocatedatadynamicpoint.

OCTOBERLANDSCAPEWITHONECOWOiloncanvas.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)

Creatingadynamicflow

Inthisworkthereisnothingpreciselypositionedatanydynamicpoint.However,theflowoftheworkimpliestheseareasandsortofdancesthroughthevarious“sweetzones.”Weenteratthebottomleftwiththecowinaforegroundtheatricalstage,asitwere,thenoverthedarkboundaryintothesecondarystage.Thenwefollowtheplayoflightandshadowpastthebalesandupthemowinglinesofthehillsidetoexitnearwheretheupperdynamicpointwouldbe,atthecrestofthehill.We“honorthecenter”herebyhavingtheflowcome

be,atthecrestofthehill.We“honorthecenter”herebyhavingtheflowcomeclosetothecenteronthewayup,butnotactuallygothroughthecenter.Ingeneral,itisbesttoavoidmakingdynamiclinescrossinthecenter,aswewanttoencouragetheasymmetryanddynamicdistributionofmajorshapesandflowofenergy.

FLORENTINEFULLMOONWALKOilonlinenonpanel.18"×20"(46cm×51cm)

Ameetinginthe“sweetzone”

ThispaintingwasdonewhilevisitingItalyduringthewinter,afterbeinginspiredbythenightambienceofFlorence.Inthiscityscape,thefiguresformafocalpointnearthelowercenter,butthelocusofmainelementsoccursattheverticallineformedbythedivisionbetweenthebuildingandthenightskyandtheimpliedeyelevelsituatedaboutaquarterofthewayupfromthebottom,nearthebaseofthefarstatue.Thisvertical-horizontaljunctureisatadynamicpoint.ThefamousPonteVecchiobridgeinthefardistanceisalsolocatedinthe

point.ThefamousPonteVecchiobridgeinthefardistanceisalsolocatedinthelowerleftandisapartofthisclusteroflinesandobjectssharingthe“sweetzone.”

OILDEMONSTRATION

RockyLandscape:ComposinginaSquareFormatIfyou’vealwayspaintedonastandardrectangularcanvas,expandyourexpressivepotentialandabilitytoorchestrateandcomposeyourworkbyselectingnewformatsthatarespecifictoyoursubject.InhisbookThePowerofLimits,architectGyörgyDoczisuggeststhatwecanthinkoftheformatasourempoweringstructure.Tostart,weneedtoexperimentandbecomefamiliarwithacknowledgingtheformatandworkingwithit.Then,afterexperimenting,whenwereturntomoreconventionalsizes,wewillhaveagreaterappreciationforandbemoreeffectiveinarrangingourcompositionalelements.Thegoalofthisdemonstrationistoexpressthequalityofmorninglightusing

alimitedpalettewithinasquareformat.Oftentimeswecanrepresentthebeautyoflightwithaminimumofcolorsorwithcolorschosentoaugmentacertainquality.Inthisautumnscene,wewillfocusonthewarmcolorsofchangingfoliage.

MaterialsSurface:Stretchedfine-weave,oil-primedlinen,40"×40"(102cm×102cm)Paintcolors:Black•BurntUmber•CadmiumOrange•CadmiumRedLight•CadmiumYellowLight•ChromiumOxideGreen•NaplesYellow•RawSienna•UltramarineBlue•VenetianRed•White•YellowOchreOther:Glazingmedium(UtrechtorLiquin)ormineralspirits

STEP1:MaketheinitialsketchStartbytintingthesurfacewithRawSienna.Thecolorschemeinthisworkwillbepredominantlywarm,thereforethetintofthecanvaswillhaveanimportanteffectonthefinallookofthepainting.Thenmakeyourdrawingusingadarkbrown.Theeyelevelhasbeensetfairlylow,justabovethewaterfall,withtherocksandstairwaysalldrawninperspective.

STEP2:LayinawarmskyCarveouttheshapesofthetreesbypaintingthelightskybehindthem.UsewhitecombinedwithNaplesYellowtogivetheskywarmth.

STEP3:DevelopthemidtonesBeginworkingintothemidtones—whichinthiscasearetheareasoftreesandrocks—usingYellowOchre,ChromiumOxideGreen,CadmiumOrangeandwhite.Workfairlybroadlyandtreattheshapesgraphicallyandratherflatly—inotherwords,don’tarticulateformtoomuchatthispoint.BeginthewaterfallwithamixtureofUltramarineBlue,BurntUmber

andwhitetoproduceagraycolorthatcanbefurtherlightenedlater.TheglowofthesunisbeingpaintedatthisstagebyaddingCadmiumRedLight,NaplesYellowandwhitetotheareaaroundthetrees,whilesofteningedges.AddtheslantingbeamsoflightusingwhiteandsomeNaplesYellow.IlikeNaplesYellowbecauseofitslowtintingstrength,whichwarmsandlightensbutdoesnotoverpower.

STEP4:DeepenthevaluesWorkonthestairstotherightandfurtherdevelopthedetailsthroughout.UseBurntUmberandblacktopushthecontrastanddeepenthevaluesinthestepsandaroundthewaterfall.WorkintothelighterareasoftherocksontheleftwithamixtureofYellowOchre,BurntUmberandwhitetobringoutthestriatedforms.

STEP5:PushthecontrastsCreatetwodistinctareasoftreesbyseparatingtheminto“families”ofvalues.Theforegroundtreesarealldarkerthanthebackgroundtrees.Tofurtherthisgoal,softenthebackgroundbyusingamixtureofwhiteandNaplesYellowthinnedwitheithersolvent(mineralspirits)oraglazingmediumforthesky,andCadmiumYellowLightforthetrees.Inthisway,bothareasarewet,andalarge,softbrushdraggingcolorlightlywillsoftenandblendtheedges.Tocreatedepth,softenedgesanddecrease

softenandblendtheedges.Tocreatedepth,softenedgesanddecreasethevaluecontrastinthebackground,thendothereverseintheforeground.Darkentheforegroundrocksontherightandunifytheirvaluestotakeawaycontrastbetweenindividualrockswhileincreasingtheoverallarea’sdarkness.Gooverthelightstopunchuptheirbrilliance.UseCadmiumRedLightandVenetianRedtoincreasethechromaaroundthesun.

OILDEMONSTRATION

NeighborhoodStreet:TakingaWiderViewInthisdemonstration,wewillattempttoconveybacklightinginatownscapeandshowhowlightdescribesthelocation.Wewillalsoexploretheimportanceofestablishingstrategicallyplacedverticalsandhorizontalsinthiselongatedrectangleformat.

MaterialsSurface:Stretchedmedium-weavelinen,22"×40"(56cm×102cm)Paintcolors:AlizarinCrimson•BurntSienna•BurntUmber•CadmiumYellowLight•CeruleanBlue•CobaltBlue•UltramarineBlue•White•YellowOchreOther:NeutralGrayacrylicpaint(Utrecht)

STEP1:PayattentiontoperspectiveanddivisionofspaceThissceneattractedmeforitstimelessquality,asitlooksinpresentdaymuchlikeitdidin1910.Compositionally,Iselectedthisviewwiththe

muchlikeitdidin1910.Compositionally,Iselectedthisviewwiththelargetreeandsidewalktoformaninterestingarrangementanddivisionofspace.Thelargesttreedividesthecanvasintosimplifiedlargeareas.OnasurfacetintedwithNeutralGrayacrylic,beginsketchingwithadarkbrown.Thispaintingincludesseveralbuildingsthatnecessitategettingthe

perspectivecorrect.Ifyoulookcloselyatthetreebehindthestreetsign,youwillseean“X,”puttheretoindicatetheeyelevelandvanishingpoint(thepointwherealltheparallellinesofthepictureappeartoconverge).Keepthevanishingpointinmindasyoudraw,asitisimportanttohavealltheperspectivelinesinagreement.

STEP2:Blockinthegrass,snowandthesunlitsidesofthehousesBeginbyblockinginsomeofthelightsinthegrassareas,usingYellowOchreandBurntSiennawithwhite.Themidtonetintofthecanvassuppliesthevalueformuchofthesurface,eventhoughitwillbepaintedoverforthemostpart.Paintthesnowandthesunlitsidesofthehousesusingjustwhite.Thewhiteatthisstageisappliedthinlyandwilleventuallygoevenbrighterwithsubsequentlayers.

STEP3:IntroducecooltonesintothestreetandsidewalkThestreetandsidewalkarecoolerintone.ApplyamixtureofUltramarineBluewithAlizarinCrimsonandwhiteforsomeparts,andCeruleanBluealongwithCobaltBlueandBurntUmberwithwhiteforothers.Continuedevelopingtheplayoflightonthesurfaces,whilearticulatingformandtopography.

STEP4:ComparehowtheshadowsreadastheydevelopWorkontheshadowareasthroughoutthepaintingandstarttodevelop

Workontheshadowareasthroughoutthepaintingandstarttodevelopthedetails,bringingitalltogethergradually.Forthetrees,startwiththelargestlimbs,waitinguntilclosetothefinishtoaddthesmallerones.TheshadowareaoftheforegroundtreeisarticulatedwithYellowOchreandBurntSiennatosuggestlighterareasofthebark,andconsequentlytheroundnessofthetreetrunk.Thecentralhousewasactuallyayellowhue,soitsshadowedareas

wererecreatedwithYellowOchre,CadmiumYellowLightandwhite.Thechallengeherewastohavetheshadowareaofthehousereadasshadow,eventhoughthevalueisnotthatmuchdarkerthanthesunlitareasofthegrass.

WhitethatdriesjustrightThewhitepaintIpreferisWinsor&Newton’sGriffinAlkyd.Iusethisfast-dryingoilbecauseitsetsupthepaintquicker,allowingforsubsequentlayeringonthenextdayorevenlateronthesameday.Inthisway,theoilpaintingtechniquecombinestheadvantagesoffast-dryingacrylicwhilestillretainingtheabilitytoblendduringthedayofapplication,whichisoneoftheappealsofoilpaintandwhyitisgenerallyadmiredamongartists.

TAYLORAVENUE—WINTERMORNINGLIGHT

TAYLORAVENUE—WINTERMORNINGLIGHTOilonlinen.22"×40"(56cm×102cm)

LetthesunlightinFurtherdevelopthebuildingsanddetailsthroughoutthepainting,softeningorsharpeningtheedgesasneeded.Lightenandaddwarmthtotheskyontheleft,nearwherethesunis.Adddeepertonestothemapletreeintheforeground,andpunchupthewarmthinthelighterareasofthebarkinthesametree.Furtherlightenthesidewalkandtheroad,adjustingtheapplicationanddirectionofyourbrushstrokestodescribetheflatnessorroundnessoftheroad.Thoughcoolerthanthegrassyareas,keepthetemperatureofthegrayishroadandsidewalkrelativelywarmbecauseofthesunlightaffectingthem.

ShowingmorethansimplywhatyouseeWhencomposing,artistsarealsoestablishingacertainhierarchyofpatternanddesign.Weattempttofindopportunitieswithinnaturetoexpressconceptsthatwillgivesignificanceandsubstancetoanimage,whileavoidingaslavish,literalcopyingofnature.Manytimesagivensceneseemstopresentlittleaccesstosuchagoal,butthatispartofthesearchandtheconsequentreward.Ratherthanjustaccumulatingonedetailontopofanother,weattempttoshowthatthereisaplanandestablishanorderthatlendsasenseofdirectiontotheprocess—andhopefully,asenseofcoherencetotheresults.

OILDEMONSTRATION

CoastalTownscape:GuidingtheViewer’sEyeThecoastofMaineinallitsruggedbeautyandwithitswonderfulnineteenth-centurybuildingsisasplendidandcompellingsubjectforartists.Inthisdemonstration,wearedepictingthesmalltownofStonington.Thegoalistoshowaconnectionbetweentheoldermanintheboatandtheyouthgazingathim,whileportrayingthebeautyoftheseasidebuildings.Portrayingthedepthofthescenewiththeoverlappingfigures,andthenhavingthescenerecedeintothedistantshoreline,ispartoftheappealandthechallenge.Ididapleinairstudy(shownintheConveyingtheCloudssection)ofthe

samescenethesummerbeforeattemptingthislargeoil.

MaterialsSurface:Stretchedfine-weave,oil-primedlinen,40"×40"(102cm×102cm)Paintcolors:AlizarinCrimson•BurntSienna•BurntUmber•CadmiumRedLight•CadmiumYellow•CeruleanBlue•ChromiumOxideGreen•CobaltBlue•NaplesYellow•PhthaloGreen•RawSienna•UltramarineBlue•White•YellowOchreOther:Mineralspirits

STEP1:CarefullyindicateperspectiveandvalueasyoudrawFirst,tintthesurfacewithRawSiennathinnedwithmineralspirits.Thenmakeyourdrawing,withsomeindicationofvalue.Thedrawingisacrucialstage,asitsetsuptheoverallcompositionthatincludesthekeyplacements,suchasthefiguresinthebottomright.Carefullymindtheperspectivecreatedbythebuildings,rocksandthewater’ssurfaceasyoudraw.

STEP2:StartwiththelightsEstablishtheoverallvalueschemebystartingwiththelightskybehindthelandandhouses.Fortheskyandwater,usevariousblues—Cobalt,UltramarineandsomeCerulean(mostlynearthehorizon),mixedwithvaryingdegreesofwhite,asshowninthisstepandthenext.Fortherocksonthedistantshoreandthehouses,useawarmwhite

andgray,madewithsmallamountsofYellowOchre,NaplesYellow,BurntUmberandsomeUltramarineBluemixedwithampleamountsof

white.Alsobegintocarveoutthelightanddarkpatternsoftheboy’sshirt,usingCadmiumRedLightwithabitofCadmiumYellowandwhiteinthesunlitarea,andacoolermixofBurntSienna,CadmiumRedLightandalittleAlizarinCrimsonintheshadows,appliedthinlytoallowthegroundcolortoshowthroughsomewhat.

STEP3:LayinthebuildingsandthelandscapeApplythinlayersofpainttoestablishtheoverallcolorofthebuildingsandthelandscape.PaintthetreesandshrubsinthebackgroundusingChromiumOxideGreen,YellowOchreandNaplesYellowinthelightareas,andPhthaloGreenandBurntUmberintheshadows.Paintthesunlitpartofthenearbyhousewiththesamemixtureasthe

rocks:YellowOchre,NaplesYellow,BurntUmber,UltramarineBlueandwhite.

white.

STEP4:BringthesceneintofocusWorkoverallofthesurface,tryingtobringtheentireimageintofocusgradually.Workonsomeofthedetailssuchasthemanintheboat,theboyandthebuildings.Asyoudevelopthewateranditsreflections,accentuatethewarm,salmon-likecoloroftherocksandseaweedtoaugmenthowtheydescribetheperspectivelayoutandtheplaneofthewater.Thesestriatedhorizontalareasallservetoleadtheeyebackintospace.Theyarebroughtoutbyvirtueofthefactthattheirvaluesarelighterthanthewater,butalsobythecolordistinctionofthewarm

lighterthanthewater,butalsobythecolordistinctionofthewarmagainstthecoolofthebluewater.

STEP5:Gofordetail,contrastandcolorInthefinalpaintingstage,bringoutmoredetails,suchasthecedarshakesinthebuildingontheleft.Furtherdevelopthecontrastoflightanddarkaswellascolor.Theskycolorispushedinchromawithasubsequentlayer,usingmoreCobaltBlueandUltramarineBlueatthetop,andmoreCerulean(awarmerblue)withwhiteatthebottom.Increasetheintensityoftheboy’sshirtbyusingmoreCadmiumRedLightinthesunlitareas,andpushingthedarksbyaddingmoreAlizarin

Lightinthesunlitareas,andpushingthedarksbyaddingmoreAlizarinCrimsonandBurntSienna.TheAlizarinCrimsonisacoolandtransparentredishcolorandworkswellforshadowareasofred.Whereas,thewhiteandCadmiumRedLightareopaqueandwarmandworknicelytosuggestthesunstrikingtheshirt.

CHAPTERFOUR

paintingskies,clouds&light

Forcenturies,paintershaveusedtheskyintheirlandscapesandcityscapestoaddanetherealaspectofswirlingorganicshapesdictatedbythewhimsofthewindtocontrasttheman-madeconstructionsandinfluencesontheland.Someoftheearliestandmostnotableexamplesarefoundintheseventeenth-centuryDutchlandscapesbyartistssuchasJacobvanRuisdael,whocreatedvastandsometimesbroodingandtragicmoodsthroughhisdepictionsofskies.AstheDutchlowlandsofferedminimalvariationsintopography,thoseDutchartistswereforcedtolookupwardforvariationanddrama.However,manyofushaveaccesstoagreatvarietyofcontrastsinourland,sotheskyisnotneededasmuchforbeingthemainactorinourpainterlydramas,butasasupportingroletoaddtoachoreographeddancewiththelandandtownsdepicted.

LATEAUTUMNVALLEYLIGHTOiloncanvasonpanel.44"×48"(112cm×122cm)Thisstudyoflight,skyandcloudspresentstheviewoftheSusquehannaRiverasitwindssouth.ItshowstheeffectsofafternoonlightasitplaysacrosstheFrenchAzilumvalleybelowit.

WhatWillYourSkySay?Caravaggiowassaidtohaveregardedstilllifepaintingasthehighestgenreofart,Isuspectbecauseofitspotentialforbeingdirectedbytheartist.So,totakethatideafurther,itcouldbeeasilyarguedthatskieshaveevenmorecreativepotentialthanstilllife,aswecancontrol,choreographandcomposewithgreaterspecificity.Aswithallcompositions,itisimportanttofirstconsiderthebroadoverall

relationshipsandbasicdivisionsofspace—whethertheskyisaslimsliveroflightattheupperedgeofthecanvasorawideswathfillingmostoftheformat.Cloudsandskiesofferafairamountoflatitudeandroomforcreatingarrangementsthatreallyreflectourwishes.Withthatsaid,whendeterminingwhatyouwantyourskytosay,thinkabout

fundamentalconceptssuchaslightandshade,colorand,surprisingly,perspective.Yes,believeitornot,perspectiveintheskiescomesintoplayoften,butnotinquitethesamewayastheultra-definedaspectsoflinearperspectiveinacityscape.Theatmosphericeffectsofweatherandhumidity,aswellasthesizesandshapesofcloudformationsandhowtheyfollowthecurvatureoftheearth,arefactorstoconsider.Inasense,skyportrayalsbecomemeteorologicalstudiesandastatementoranimpressionofagiventimeandplace.

VERNALLIGHTATATHREE-WAYSTOP—SPRINGHILL,PAOilonlinen.40"×46"(102cm×117cm)Askythatsupports

Inthispainting,theearlyeveningskyplaysasupportingrole,anexampleofhowlarge,unoccupiedspacesserveasaneffectivedevicetomakingthemainactorsofacompositionevenmoreemphatic.Theoldfarmhouse,streakinglightandbarnsharetheleadrolesinthisscene.Inthesky,however,Ihavejudiciouslyplacedacoupleofsmallcloudsinakeyspotforinterest.

MID-AUGUSTEVE—STONINGTON,MEOilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

Capturingafleetingmoment

Thisviewoftheharborwasroughedinverygenerallyonlocationinanattempttocapturethefleetingearlyeveninglight.Thedetailsandfinalarticulationwereaddedlaterinthestudio.Thefadinglightofthesunwaswarmandgavetheuppersectionofthehouseandtreetopsagoldencolor.Thehousewasactuallyalightgreen,butIdecidedtoletmyinterestinthecolorofthelighttakeprecedenceratherthantheactualor“local”colorofthescene.

EDINGERHILLMOONRISEOilonpanel.22"×48"(56cm×122cm)

Transitionalcolors

Atransitionaltimeisdepictedhere.Afullmoonriseswhilethelastwarmraysofthesungraduallyclimbthebuildingsandforms.TheclearnessofaJanuaryeveningandacloudlessskyinspiredme.Themoonascendingonthefarrightbecomesanintriguingcounter-interesttothesunsettingbehindme.Thistimeofdayoftenhasthehorizonturningadelicatepink,andinthiscaseIhaveaccentuatedthathuesomewhat,usingAlizarinCrimson,PermanentRoseandwhite.

ConveyingtheCloudsTheprocessofpaintingcloudsonlocationsharessomesimilaritiestofigurepaintingandportraiturewhendonefromlife.Paintingcloudsorpeopleinlargepartinvolvesmemorization,visualizationandcreativity.Whenwelookatoursubjectandthenbacktoourcanvas,thereisaninherentactofmemorizingthatisnecessary.Wemustretainthatvisualimpressionlongenoughtoportraythescenewhilewepaint,beforewelookbacktorefreshourmemory.Cloudsbringthisprocesstotheforefront,astheyareoftenbuffetedbywinds

andthereforearealwaysinflux.Inaway,theyunderscoretheimpermanentandchangingnatureoflifeitself,astheyshowusfromminutetominutehowtransformationisongoingandhowthecontinualmorphingfromonestatetoanotherisalwaysoccurring.So,whenwepaintoutside,sometimesthecloudsarecaptivatingand

engaging,andwejustchoosetoexpresstheformsandcombinationsthatwefindappealing.Atothertimesweneedtouseacombinationofinventionandmemory,aswewillseecloudstructuresandthenwe’llneedtorecreatethembeforeourimpressionvanishes.OftenIwillincorporateparticularlymemorablecloudformationsthatIwitnessedbeforeintothecurrentpainting.Havingavisualcatalogofcloudcombinationsinyourheadtodrawuponisuseful.Thechallengeistobeawareofhowthesecreatedcloudsareinteractingwitheachotherinthepresentcomposition,withintheoverallpainting.Whenpaintingcloudsinastudiowork,Ioftenhaveavisualizationofthe

particularcloudstructuretobeillustrated.Thisincludestheperspective,lightdirection,arrangementofmajorshapesandcolorscheme.Thetypeofcloudsyouarepaintingshouldalsobeconsidered,andageneral

familiaritywithmeteorologyishelpful.Cloudsareoftensoft-edged,buttherecanbesomelatitudehereaswell.Theruleofsofteningedgesanddecreasingcontrastinthedistanceappliestocloudsjustasitdoesotherelements.

SENECACUMULUSOilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

Overlappingcloudstoshowspaceanddistance

OftenwhenIampaintingclouds,IborrowfrommemoryorsometimesevencombinemyobservationsinnaturewithbitsofinspirationIcanrecallfromotherartists.Intheend,Icomeupwithadistilledversionofcloudsthatareuniquetomyvision.Inthiswork,thecloudsrecedetotherightandupthelengthofthelake,whichistothenorth.Thedarkhorizontalbandsofclouds—oftenobservedonsummerdays,whenthunderstormsarethreateningorhaverecentlypassed—recedewest,fromrighttoleft.Theyarelayeredinfrontofthelargecumuluscloudsandprojectclosertous.Belowthelargewhitecloudsisa

cumuluscloudsandprojectclosertous.Belowthelargewhitecloudsisasmallergroupofthesametypenearthehorizon.

GOLDENCLOUDSOVERSULLIVANCOUNTYCOWSOilonlinen.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)PermanentcollectionofPaulyFriedmanArtGallery,MisericordiaUniversity,Dallas,PA

Imaginingabillowyarrangement

TheinspirationforthisworkwasderivedfromaviewnearDushore,Pennsylvania.Thispaintingisnotaliteraldepiction.Thecloudswereinventedbutbasedonobservation,asthatsummerfeaturedseveralweeksofthemostamazingclouds.Thesecloudswererobustandbillowedwithgreatdynamic

amazingclouds.Thesecloudswererobustandbillowedwithgreatdynamicenergyoverthewarm-coloredfields.Eventhoughthesecloudswereentirelyinvented,attheinceptionIhadageneralvisionofhowtheyweretobecomposed,aswellasthewarmpaletteIplannedtouse.IstartedwithlargemassesofcolorasIcarvedouttheirgeneralshapes,whilekeepinginmindtheoveralldesignqualities.Insubsequentpaintingsessions,Ibeganarticulatingtheroundnessofthecloudsbybuildingupthelightsinthesunlitareasandlightermidtonesintheshadows.TheblueoftheskywasmutedwithBurntUmberorRawUmbersoasnottocompetewiththeclouds.

THEMORNINGROW—STONINGTON,MEOilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

Oilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

Valueshiftsindicatedepth

Thecloudsinthisworkwereconceivedintermsoflargemassesfirst,withthebigwhiteareabeingthemainsection.Thentheprocessistosubdivideandlayertocreateinterestanddepth,asthisisactuallyhowcloudsfrequentlylook.Insomeareasthevalueswitchwillcreatedepth,asisthecasewiththeslightlydarkergrayclouds,whichreadasbeinginfrontofthewhiteclouds.Theshiftsinvalueinspecificareas,alongwithlayering,combinetohelporganizethecloudswhilecreatingmovementandthelookofairy,shiftingforms.Toseeavideoclipofmepaintingthisscene,visitbriankeeler.com.

SOLSTICERIVERCLOUDS—SUGARRUN,PAOilonpanel.22"×48"(56cm×122cm)CollectionofDonaPosatko,Dallas,PA

Adjustingcloudcolorstothelight

Paintingnexttothisriverislandprovidedaspectacularviewofthesunmeltingintothetrees.Thesun’sraysoflightdepictedinthissceneareknownascrepuscularlight(derivedfromcrepusculo,theItalianwordfor“twilight”).Thevaryingwarmlightscreateamagicfeelingonaneveningsuchasthis.The

chromainthisworkisintensifiedtoaugmentthedramaofeveningsummerlight;IusedsomeCadmiumRedsandOrangesalongwithvariousyellowsinthetreesnearthesun.Thedarkvalueoftheforegroundtreesalsodrawsattentiontothearea,asthecontrastandchromaarestrongestnearthesun.

AUGUSTEVENING—WYALUSINGCREEKOilonpanel.22"×48"(56cm×122cm)

Figure/groundrelationshipsswitchingacrossthesky

IcreatedthisoilinmystudiofromastudyImadeafterridingmybicycleuptothebridgeonRoute706nearLawton,Pennsylvania.IwaspleasedthatIcouldpaintthecowswhiletheyweremoving.Thisexpandedformatincludesthebridgewithawiderviewnoteasilyattainedwhiledoingfieldstudies.Inthiswork,thecloudsclosesttothehorizonweregenerallyperceivedasbeingmidorlightvalueagainstanevenlighterbackground.Intheuppersky,thefigure/groundrelationshipflips,asthecloudsarelightagainstthedarkerblue.Nearthesun,thecloudshaveseverallayersofpaint,asIgraduallykeptlightening,warmingandsofteningedges.

SUMMERLAKEHEAT—ITHACA,NYOilonpanel.30"×36"(76cm×91cm)CollectionofMichaelandAllisonRiley,Ithaca,NY

Complementarycloudcolors

Thisstudiopainting,basedonpleinairstudies,wascompletedwithamostlywarmpalette.Thelargecloudswereorganizedintotwomajorareas.Closesttotheviewerandontheleftisanareaofcoolclouds,madewithavarietyofbluesandwhitebutmitigatedandwarmedwithNaplesYellowandYellowOchre.Soeventhoughthesecloudsarerelativelycoolerthanthecloudstotheright,theyaremostlyawarmgray.Therearetwoareasofwarmeranddarkerorangenearthetop.Thereisalsoalayeringandoverlappingoccurring,indicatinga

recessionofspacetotheright,whichisupandnorthonthelake.

SeeingandStatingtheLightTheportrayaloflightisoneofthosefascinatingandephemeralaspectsofnaturethathascaptivatedtheattentionofmanyartists.Thedepictionoflightoftenbecomesthemaingoalinmypaintings,whilethelandorsubjectcantakeonmoreofasupportingrole.Whenwepaint,itisoftensaidthatweareportrayingtheplayoflightand

howitdescribestheworldwesee.Regardinglightastheprotagonistinaworkofartcancauseashiftinourperceptionwhenobservingandpainting.Thedramaofstronglightonaneveninglandscapeorcityscapeactuallyhelpsmemakeaninitialsimplifiedstatement.Ilikethelookofsimplifiedareasthatrevealtheunderlyinggeometricbeauty.IfwethinkofthepleinairoilstudiesofCorot,aFrenchlandscapepainter,doneintheRomanForumorelsewhereinItaly,webegintoappreciatetheeconomyoflineandshapetoreveallightandform.So,usinglight,Iattempttobreakdownanygivensceneintolargeareasoflightanddark.Sometimesthiscanbethedifferencebetweenthesunlitareasandshadow,or

inanightscene,thelargemassesoflandagainstsky.Aswithalltypesofpainting,thekeytocolorandlightisvaluedistinction.Theseparationandorchestrationofanysubjectintoclearareasoftoneandvaluereallytrumpsthecolor.But,afteryouhavemadeimportantvaluedecisions,thecolorcanbeasourceofrewardandexhilarationasyouexploretherangebetweensoftnuanceandstrongemphasis.

RIVERSCAPEWITHHERONOilonlinen.44"×64"(112cm×163cm)triptychCollectionofWillaFalck,Golden,CO

Savingthemostcaptivatinglightsforthesky

Inthestudyforthiswork,thesunwasattimesfilteringontopofthetallgrassontheislandandelsewhere.Inthisstudioversion,Isimplifiedtheoverallfigure/groundrelationshiptohavethelightsmostlyintheskyandthedarksbelowthehorizon,butwithsomealterationshereandthere.Theheronrisingsuggestsaninherentspiritualquality.

FIRSTSTREET,WINTERLIGHT—WYALUSING,PAOilonlinen.40"×58"(102cm×147cm)CollectionofAlandBettyMacLachlan,Wilmington,DELightpatternsonsnow

Therelativelyhigheyelevelaccentuatestheinspirationforthispainting:thelight-dappledyard.ThesnowwaspaintedrathercarefullyherebydrawingwithBurntUmberthepatternoflightandshade.Iusedcoolcolorsinthesnow,asitwasreflectingtheblueskyabove.Thehouse,however,waspaintedwithwarmercolors,eventhoughitisalsoavariationofwhite.Theoldslatewalkshownhassincebeenreplacedbyconcrete.Buthere,the

irregularityofthechippedtilesaddscharacter.Itwaspaintedwithadarkerblue/violethueintheshadowareas,andinthesunlitparts,awarmgraymadewithwhite,BurntUmberandsomeYellowOchre.

BRIDGESTREET—STARSHADOWANDLIGHTOilonlinen.38"×54"(97cm×137cm)

Lightrevealstopographicaldetails

Thetitlereferstotheeasy-to-misspatternoflightcreatedbythesunfilteringthroughtheChristmasdecorationontothepavement.Itisaserendipitousmoment,withtheever-changinglightmovingacrossthegrittyandcinder-strewnroad.OnereasonIliketoportraythislatetimeofdayoutsideisthatIcanmorereadilyexperiencethetransitoryandfleetingnatureoflife.Inpaintingsceneslikethis,keepinmindthetopographyoftheareadepicted.Here,thelightisdescribingtheformortopographyoftheroadandthesnow-coveredbank,revealinghowmuchorhowlittleeachistiltingandslanting.

BacklightingforDramaBacklightingoffersawonderfulrangeofpossibilitiesforportrayinglight,aslightingfrombehindinherentlyprovidesdramaandcontrast.Inotherlightingconditions,weareusuallydepictinglightonandaroundobjectsasitcomesfromasideangleorabove.Inbacklighting,shapesareoftensilhouettedatadistancefromtheviewer,withtheplayoflightdisplayedspreadingoutinthespacebetweenthoseshapesandtheviewer.Thechallengeinbacklitscenes,perhapsmoresothaninotherlighting

conditions,istogetthelandtolieflatorinaplaneconsistentwiththeperspective.TheproblemIhaveseeninsomestudents’workisthattheforegroundplayoflightappearstotiltdowntoomuch.Thisisreallyaperspectiveanddrawingissue,buttheseoff-kilterdepictionsinthelayofthelandseemtocomeoutinthesecircumstances.Ofcourse,lookingintothelightisbadfortheeyes,andIinfrequentlydothis

inpleinairanymore.ItissaidthatthisprocesswasacontributingfactortotheeventualvisionproblemsoftheImpressionistpaintersofFrance.So,aswehavecamerastoday,itisbettertousephotoreferencestohelpuspaintbacklitscenes.

GOD’SHILLSUMMERLANDSCAPEOilonlinen.44"×52"(112cm×132cm)CollectionofHarryLee,Stroudsburg,PA

Colorfulhalationeffect

Despitetheratherdarkunderpainting,thisworkcontainslotsofcolor.Therowsofcultivatedfieldsinthemid-groundleadtheeyebacktothebarnandbeyond,followingthedirectionofthelight.Thehuesareintensifiedalongthebordersoftheshadows,whichisaphenomenonsometimeswitnessedinphotography.Asitisusedhereandinotherpaintingsinthisbook,theideaistopushthecolorandcreateaneffectreferredtoinmeteorologyorphotographyashalation–a

diffusingoflight(àlaVermeer)oranaureole(acircleoflight)aroundanobject.

SUMMERMORNING—SUGARRUN,PAOilonlinen.22"×60"(56cm×152cm)CollectionofWilliamsportRegionalMedicalCenter,Williamsport,PA

Adeparturefromlocalcolortotranslatethewarmthofascene

Onmanyoccasions,I’vepaintedsunlightthroughtreesandthewaythelightplaysonlawnsandroads.However,thispainting,showinganearlymorningviewalongtheriver,alsodisplaysthelightonquicklyevaporatingmist.Thismistherewasportrayedwithseverallayersofcolor,graduallygoinglighterandlighter.Asthenatureofmistisephemeral,ever-changingandconstantlyfluctuatingbetweenopaqueandsemitransparent,thechallengewastokeepitsoft-edgedbutstilldescribetheshapesofthespires.Ipurposelyusedwarmcolorsinthetree,eventhoughthefoliageisgreen,becausemygoalwastodepictthewarmthofasummermorningandthecoloroflightinsteadofanexacttranscriptionoflocalcolors.

VERNALLAWNLIGHTOiloncanvas.44"×48"(112cm×122cm)

Takingcolorchances

Theglowofthesunwasdepictedherebyfirstusingverywarmhues—CadmiumRed,VenetianRedandCadmiumOrange—butalsobylighteningthevaluefromthedarkgreenofthetree.IntheforegroundshadowsItookalotoflibertywiththecolorbyselectinganearcomplementtothelocalcolorofthegreengrass,choosingvariationsofmagentaandhigh-keyviolet.Thevalueofthismagenta-likecolorisaboutthesameasthegreenshadownearthebottomofthecanvas.

WaterReflectingtheSkyandLandWaterandlightcombinedhavetogetherformedanothermotifthathasprovidedarewardingmuseformanyartists.Therearemanychallengesofworkingwithwaterandskycombined,butmanyrewardsaswell.TheworkofMaxfieldParrishprovidesanexampleofoneendofthe

spectrum,thatbeingofexactnessindepictingreflectivity.Incertainpieces,heshowedamirrorlikereflectioninthewaterofthescenesdepictedabovethewater’ssurface.Hisprecisionandbeautifulcolorcombinetomakeformemorableworksofgreatbeauty.Onthepainterlysideofthespectrumarethebrushierpainterswhoexemplifiedprocessmorethanfinish,withEugèneBoudin’slittleseasideoilsorÉdouardManet’sbroadbrushandsimplifiedareasinSeineRiverscenesshowingusotheroptions.Aswatercanbeplacidandreflectiveorchoppyandnotmirrorlikeatall,there

islatitudeforthetreatmentwechoose.Therearesomeconstantsthataregoodtokeepinmind,buteventhesecanhaveexceptionsdependingonweatherconditions.Onecommonphenomenonisthatthehuesareoftendarkerinthereflection,meaningthewaterisfrequentlydarkerthanthesky.Andasthewateristhereverseofthesky,thehuesgetdarkerandmoreintensetowardthebottomofourcanvas(astheskygetsdarkerthefartheritisfromthehorizon).Onechallengeofportrayingwateristoseizetheserendipitouseffectswhile

workinginpleinair.Forexample,catchingtheeffectofabreezeasitrufflesasectionofwatermayprovideagreatcompositionaldevice.Anotherfascinatingandchallengingaspecttoexpressinpaintishowlightworksinwater—itsrefractionanddistortion—andthetransparencyofwater,orhowmuchorhowlittleitrevealsofwhatliesbeneaththesurface.

INLETAFTERNOON—ITHACA,NYOilonlinen.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)

Generalreflectionsofcolor

Inthisworkthecloudswereinventedbutbasedonobservation.Youcanseethattheyareorganizedaccordingtoaperspectiveplan,asthelowercloudsarediminishinginsize,overlappingandthereforegoingbackintospace.Theyformsortofavisualaerialechooftheinlet,whichisalsogoingbackintospace.Thewaterhadwavesfromthewindandfromthescullers’oars,soitwasnotglassylikeamirror.Becauseofthis,thereflectionscouldbegeneralandsuggestive.

EARLYMAY,FOSTERBRANCH—HOLLENBACK,PAOiloncanvas.36"×50"(91cm×127cm)diptychStillandmovingwater

Inthisworkthestreamisrunningoverrocksfairlyswiftlyandthereforenotreflectingmuch,andalsonotlettingusseeintothewater.Asmallpooltothelowerright,however,isnotpartofthecurrentandthereforeisstill,andreflectingthesunandtreessomewhat.Thesuninthereflectionandtheactualsunlightarebothpositionedindynamicpointsoftherightpanelofthisdiptych.Thepatchofgoldenlighttotheleftonthedistanthillformsonepointofatriangularshapeinthisdesign,withthetwosuns(actualandreflected)formingtheotherpoints.

TIBEREVENING—ROMEOiloncanvasonpanel.18"×24"(46cm×61cm)

Reflectingman-madestructuresintowater

Whenpaintingwaterwithacityscapeorwitharchitectureinthebackground,weneedtorecreatethemirroredimagesoftheman-madestructures.Thiscombinationisappealing,asitshowstheflowingriverincontrasttothemorepermanentbuildings.Generally,thereflectedimagesaredarkerthanthoseontheshore,butnotalways.Theflowingcurrentandtheripplesaddinterestandcomplexitytothewater.Thisnocturneisrathersuggestiveandimpressionistic;thegoalwasnottorenderthedetailstootightly,buttocapturethemoodandfeelingoftheancientcityatsunset.

OVERWATKINSGLEN,NYOilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

Waterbathedinsunlight

ThisviewshowsSenecaLakefromtheeastsidewithpartofthetownbelow.Thecolorinthisworkwassuggestedverybroadlyandgenerallyatfirst,asIwasworkingoutside.Theoveralldistributionofshapes,however,wasarrangedtogetthekeyelementsofthesun,reflection,townandfigureinstrategicpositions.Thesunwasportrayedasseenfilteringthroughclouds,althoughatthetimethecloudswerenotprevalent.Thereflectedglintisthebrightestvalue,andthereforethekeypointtowhichallotherelementsrelate.ThediffusehalationandintensifiedcolorinthetreesandbaletopsiscreatedwithVenetianRedor

andintensifiedcolorinthetreesandbaletopsiscreatedwithVenetianRedorIndianRedwithCadmiumRed,andperhapssomeCadmiumYellowMedium.

CAMPFIRESMOKE,LOYALSOCKCREEKOiloncanvas.41"×45"(104cm×114cm)CollectionofLindaGraves,Ithaca,NY

Breakingupthewater

Thevaluesinthisworkarepushedsothatthedarksbecomeverydark.Thereistransparencyinthewater,aswellasanintriguinggraphicpatterncausedbythecurrentandthereflectedareas.Iusedamorepainterlytechniqueintheclosestwaterbymakingthesunglintandorangishareashaveacurvilinear,stylizedlook.Thereisadiagonallighterareagoingacrossthewaterinaslantthatbreaksupthewater’sprogress.Furtherintothework,ahorizontalbandoflight

breaksupthewater’sprogress.Furtherintothework,ahorizontalbandoflightnearthecampfireprovidesanotherbreakandarestingspotneartheeyelevel.Ididasmallplein-airoilstudyofthissamescenewheretheeyelevelwasplacedmuchlower.However,withtheeyelevelshownhere,theforegroundwaterbecomesmorepredominant.

SUNGLINTONTHEINLETOilonlinen.18"×20"(46cm×51cm)

Land,waterandskysharingthesamewarmhues

Thisdepictionoflateafternoonuseswarmcolors,sometimesevenhothues,

throughout.Theglintofthesuniscausinghalationaroundthewomenintheboat,andthehuesaremoreintensehereaswell.CadmiumRedLight,CadmiumYellowMediumandLemonYellowaresomeofthecolorsusedintheseareasandalsointhetrees.

NightSkiesNocturnesprovideuswithanopportunitytoexploreamorepoeticandmysterioussideoflife.Nighttimescenesalsoaffordusthechancetoworkwithalimitedpaletteandexplorethebeautyofsoftedgesanddiffuselight.Thenightskyaswellcansuggestmanypossibilitiesasitopenstotheastral

infinitiesandcontrastswithourrelativelysmallplaceinthegrandschemeofthings.Nighttimeintownscapesandlandscapesallowsustohavefunexploringthebeautyofnatureinteractingwithman-madeelementsandartificiallightfromstreetlampsandhouses.Somepleinairartistsworkoutdoorsatnight,withvariouswaysoflighting

theirworkandseeingtheirpalette.Ihavedonethisonoccasion,mostrecentlyinRomealongtheTiberRiver,wheretheadjacentstreetlightsprovidedenoughworkinglightandthepromenadenexttothewaterhasfewpedestriansformostoftheyear,whichmakesforundisturbedworking.Still,formeandformostotherartists,thepracticalitiesofworkingoutdoors

atnightarejusttoomuchtrouble.Instead,workingfromphotosormemoryorsketchesseemstobemuchmoreeffective.

NightartArthistoryprovidesuswithplentyofnighttimeinspiration,ifjustgazingattheeveningskyisnotenough.SomememorableexamplesareJamesMcNeillWhistler’sviewsoftheThamesRiverinLondonandFredericRemington’sOldAmericanWestscenes.EdwardSteichenalsodidsomebeautifuloilpaintingsofnocturnes.OneofthemostrecognizablenightscenesofallisEdwardHopper’sNighthawks,buthisotherworksofvoyeuristicviewsofcityofficesandwindowsandlonelygasstationsatnightareequallypowerful.

STONINGTONNOCTURNEOilonlinen.10"×14"(25cm×36cm)Privatecollection,Lewisburg,PA

Theatmosphereofnight

Thisnocturneusesablue/goldcombination,andthepaintingrecallstomesomeofthenightscenesofLondonpaintedbyJamesMcNeillWhistler.Ipurposelyarrangedthereflectionsintheroadtomirrorthehouse,whichisthecentralactorinthisstudy.Thedistantshorelineiskeptmorediffusetoindicatethenightatmosphere.

SUSQUEHANNANOCTURNEOilonpanel.14"×16"(36cm×41cm)

Dividingthenight

Thisworkalsohasablue/goldcolorscheme,andtheoverallcompositionissimplifiedintodistinctareasofsky,trees,riverandshore.Thefiguresandcampfireoccupyakeypointandarelocatedinoneofthe“sweetzones.”

CLOSECALL—SUGARRUN,PAMixedmedia.20"×36"(51cm×91cm)

Nighttimevaluecontrasts

Nightscenesingeneralofferanopportunitytosimplify,andinthiswork(alongwithothersshowninthissection)thelandandtreesoccupythedarkerareasandskyislighter.Valueisdoingafairamountofthedescribinghere.Forexample,thehouseisdefinedbybeingalightshapesilhouettedagainstadarkmassoftrees.Thevalueandhueofthewarm,glowinglightscontrastwiththeoverallbluishhueoftherestoftheimage.ThedeeralsocontainsomeRawUmberorRawSienna,whichaccentuatesthemduetothewarmthofthesecolors.Iusedallthemediainmyarsenal—oil,watercolor,gouache,pastelandcharcoal—asanexperimenttoseewhatcouldbeaccomplished.

KEUKANOCTURNEOilonlinen.10"×10"(25cm×25cm)

Apaletteofblues

Amonochromaticpaletteofvariationsonblueisatworkhere,withthevaluesfairlyclosetogetherthroughout,exceptwherethedarksarepushedinthetreesandthenthelightsarepushedbrighterinthecloudsandtownlights.Thecloudsarenotasresolvedhereasinsomepaintings,butthisworkservedasastudyforalargeroilofthesamescene.Thecloudswerethoughtofhereastheydrift

alargeroilofthesamescene.Thecloudswerethoughtofhereastheydriftacrossfromwesttoeast,withafewbandsofcloudsinaCerulean-likebluetocreatecontrastinvalueandtemperature.

SENECANOCTURNEOilonlinen.10"×10"(25cm×25cm)CollectionofJustinDempsey,Washington,D.C.

Darkerland,lightersky

Assometimeshappens,Istayuntilaftersunsetwhenpaintingdaytimeoreveningscenesandthengettoobservethesamelocalewhilenightbeginstoenveloptheland.Inthispainting,allthevalueshavebeenpusheddark—for

example,thedistanthillsideismuchdarkerthaninKeukaNocturne(previous).IlovethetwinklingofafewcottagesandhomesasthenightdescendsandoftenpaintthesewithflicksofgoldandYellowOchrewithwhite.Thecloudsarepositionedhigh,soastosuggestaircurrentspushingthemacrossthesky,andrecedetotheright.

TWILIGHTOVERITHACAOilonlinen.18"×20"(46cm×51cm)

Thelasteffectsofsunlightasnightfalls

Thecloudsinthisworkaredoneingoldandsaffron-likecolorstosuggestthelastraysofwarmsunstillshiningupfrombelowthewesternhorizon.Thecloudsherearethewispy,mare’s-tailtypesthatlendthemselvestosuggestingcurrentsorflowofair.Thestreetlightinthephotosusedforreferencehadaeeriegreenishtintthatmadethefoliagelookratheriridescent.

KEUKA,NOCTURNEWITHMARES’TAILSOilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

Nightbreezes

Inthisworkthecloudswereorganizedtosuggestswirlingnightbreezes.Theforegroundwaspusheddarkerinvalue,andthedetailsofthevinepostsandincreasedcontrastsofthislandareawereusedtoaugmentclosenessanddepth.

OILDEMONSTRATION

MoonlitStreet:MaximizingaCoolPaletteThemaingoalsinthispaintingaretoportrayanighttimescenewithalimitedpalette—blueandyellow—contrastinginbothtemperatureandvalue,andtocreateapoetickindofmoodthatsuggeststhequietlifeofavillage.Thelonefigurewalkingontherightandtheinteriorlight,totheleft,serveasbracketsandsupportingactorstoframethemaininterestoftheVictorianhouseinthebackground,withastark,singleillumination.Althoughthecolorsarebasicallyprimary,theyareshiftedoradjustedtobemorenuancedthancolorstakendirectlyfromthetube,orcolor-wheel-perfectprimaries.

MaterialsSurface:Stretchedmedium-weavelinen,26"×30"(66cm×76cm)Paintcolors:AlizarinCrimson•Black•BurntSienna•BurntUmber•CadmiumRedLight•CadmiumYellow•CeruleanBlue•ChromiumOxideGreen•CobaltBlue•NaplesYellow•PermanentRose•PhthaloGreen•PrussianBlue•UltramarineBlue•VenetianRed•White•YellowOchreOther:NeutralGrayacrylicpaint(Utrecht)•Mineralspirits

SENATEANDCHURCHSTREETNOCTURNEOilonlinen.10"×10"(25cm×25cm)

Oilstudy

ThisistheoriginalsmalloilstudywhereIexploredthethemebeforestartingthelargerversion.Theshadowsontheleftandtheoverallambienceofnightlightarewhatattractedmetothescene.

STEP1:MakeasketchwithmoreskyTintthesurfacewithNeutralGrayacrylicfirst.Intheinitialstage,drawtheimagewithattentiontoperspectiveandproportionalrelationships.The“X”markedonthedoorofthedistanthouseindicatesthevanishingpointtowhichalltheperspectivelineslead.Ichangedtheoverallcompositionsignificantlycomparedtomyoriginal

study.Mainly,Iaddedlotsofspaceintheskyabovethetown,therebyaccentuatingthepositioningofkeyelementstoputthemintoamoreeffectivelocation.Forexample,thevanishingpoint,streetlightandlightestvaluesonthegarageareclusteredarounda“sweetzone,”ordynamicpoint,inthelowerright.

dynamicpoint,inthelowerright.

STEP2:SetuptheskyandbeginthedistanthouseBegintoapplythefirstlayerofcolortotheskyandtothedistanthouse,settinguptheblue/goldcolorscheme.Massintheskywithathinlypaintedlayer(usingafairamountofmineralspirits)ofUltramarineBlueandPrussianBluewithwhite.Skiesalmostalwaysgetlighteratthehorizon,evenatnight,solightentheblueasyougetclosertothebuildings.ApplyNaplesYellow,CadmiumYellowandwhitetothedistanthouse,asthestreetlightiscreatingawarmglow.Begintoadddetailsandmodelformasyougo.Alsoconsiderthe

moon’splacementinthesky.Makelittlecompositionaldecisionswithin

eachareaofthework.Inotherwords,considernotjustthecompositionasawhole,butalsothesmallersubdivisionsofspace,whichalsohavetheirownarrangementsandrelationships.Thecloudsarepartofthis;addthemtocreatesomewhatsoftbordersthatkeeptheviewer’seyewithinthecanvas.

STEP3:DevelopthehousesasaffectedbythelightThiscompositionhasthreemainfocalpoints:themoon,thedistanthouselitbythestreetlightandthelitwindowofthenearesthouse.Begintopaintthepatternoflightonthenearesthouse,applyingacoolhuemadewithCeruleanBlue,UltramarineBlueandwhite.IlettheBurntSiennalinesremaininareas(suchastheclapboards)toofferawarm

Siennalinesremaininareas(suchastheclapboards)toofferawarmcontrastandalsobecauseIlikethedrawingtoshow.PainttheshrubberywithPhthaloGreen,AlizarinCrimson,someUltramarineBlueandblack.UsingAlizarinCrimson,anearoppositeofPhthaloGreen,willhelpmakethegreendarkbutverysubduedandlow-chroma.Bothcolorsaretransparent,whichalsoworkswellforshadows.PaintthegrassusingthewarmerChromiumOxideGreenandsomePhthaloGreenandYellowOchre.Keeptheroofofthedistanthousewarm,usingBurntSienna,VenetianRedandsomeCadmiumRedLightonthelighterside,andgraduallydarkeningontheleftwithBurntUmber.

STEP4:ThestreettakesshapeAddanotherlayerofpainttothesky,andworkonthedetailsofthehouses—shapingtheplanesoftherooflinesandclarifyingotherarchitecturaldetails,butmaintainingtheoverall“painterly”look.Icorrectedtheorthogonallinesonthenearleftchimney.Inthisstage,addothervariationsofcoolcolors.Forexample,inthe

street,addsomepurpleorlavender-likecolors,alongwithsomebluishgreens.TheturquoiseismadebymixingPhthaloGreenandUltramarineBluewithwhite,andthepurpleismadewithCobaltBlue,PermanentRoseandwhite.Iamkeepingtheshadowsinthedistanthousewarmandtheshadowsfromtheshrubbesidetheforegroundhousecool—somewhatofanarbitrarydecisiontoaccomplishacontrastbetweenthetwobuildings.

SENATESTREETNOCTURNEOilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

STEP5:SharpenandsoftenedgesandincreasecontrastAddyetanotherlayerofpainttothesky.Theselayersfurtheraugmentthegraduationoftonesfromdarkatthetoptolightatthebottom,andaddrichnesstothecolor.Paintthestarsandthediffuseglowaroundthemoon.AddsomeVenetianRedtotheroofofthedistanthousetoaccentuatetheglowandwarmthofthestreetlight.Continuetopushthecontrastsincertainareas,suchastheforeground

grass,whichcanbemadedarkerwithadeepgreen(PhthaloGreenandBurntUmber).Thisprocesssolidifiesthedarkstomakethemappear

BurntUmber).Thisprocesssolidifiesthedarkstomakethemappearunified.Maketheedgesincertainforegroundareasmorecrisp,andinsomeareassoftentheedges,suchaswherethedistantmountain(abovethestreetsign)meetsthesky.

OILANDPASTELDEMONSTRATIONS

BeachSky:TryingaSceneinTwoDifferentMediumsIwasattractedtothisscenebecauseitrepresentedacertaintypeofsummer’s-endritual,asitwasearlyinSeptemberandwasprobablythelasttimethesefamilies,couplesandindividualswouldbebytheseathatseason.Ilikedthecontrastspresented:therawnatureofthelandjuttingintotheoceanwiththesimplifiedgeometryofthebuiltstructures;theroundedorganicshapes(thecloudsandfigures)withtheangularaspectsofthehousesandrocks;theimpermanenceofmanwiththeenduranceoftheearth.Let’sattemptthissceneinpastelfirst,theninoil,notingthedifferencesin

colorandcomposition.

MaterialsForthepastelversion:Surface:CansonMi-Teintespaper,24"×30"(61cm×76cm)Pastels:Variouscolors

Fortheoilversion:Surface:Stretchedmedium-weavelinen,36"×40"(91cm×102cm)Paintcolors:Black•BurntSienna•BurntUmber•CadmiumOrange•CadmiumYellow•NaplesYellow•PermanentRose•UltramarineBlue•White•YellowOchreOther:BurntSiennaacrylicpaint(Utrecht)

Fictivepositioningwithascalenetriangle

Wewilluseascalenetriangle(noequalsides)tohelpusplacethefiguresinthisscene,buttomakethecompositionmoredynamic,wewillintroducetheideaof“fictivepositioning”asweconsiderthistriangle.Insteadofseeingthetriangleasflatonthepictureplane,imagineitlayingflatontheplaneofthebeach,leadingtheeyebackintospace,withthefiguresarrangedatthecornersinsuchawaythattheintervalsbetweenthemhaveanintrinsicharmony.Composinginanillusionisticspace(orfictiveposition)canaddanotherelementtotheideaofcomposing,whichisusuallyjustconsidered“flatdesign.”

STEP1:ArrangethecompositionAsyoumakethepreliminarysketch,focusonmajordivisionsofspace,bothverticalandhorizontal,andarticulatethesequencesandintervals.Useforgiving(movable)bordersifneeded;Ididn’thavetoadjustthemforthisparticularpiece.Thisveryearlystageillustratestheideaoffictivepositioningjustdescribed;noticethetriangularmanipulationofthefiguresplacedonthebeach.Arrangethecloudstoadheretoaperspectiveplan,diminishingtheminsizeastheyapproachthehorizon.Useverticalplumblinesnearthehouseinthedistancetoseehowthefiguresalignwiththeotherelements.

figuresalignwiththeotherelements.

STEP2:BlockinthemainelementsBlockinthelightareasusingagoldenochrecolor.Theformsaredevelopingasyouclarifythelights.Beginthecolorinthecloudsusinghigh-chromahues—inthiscase,arosehueintheshadowareasandagoldenochreinthesunlitareas.Thesetwocolorsarejustslightlyoffoftheperfectcolorwheeloppositesofyellowandviolet,tomakethemmoresophisticatedandappealing.Inthesandandreflectedcloudsintheforegroundwater,usethesamegoldandrosecombination.Intheshadowareaoftherocks,useadarkbluesimilartoPrussianBlue.Forthesky,useapastelsimilartoalightUltramarineBlue,lightenedeven

thesky,useapastelsimilartoalightUltramarineBlue,lightenedevenmorewithwhite.

GLOUCESTERAFTERNOONPastelonpaper.24"×30"(61cm×76cm)

STEP3:CooloffthecloudsThefinishedpastelmaintainsthedyadschemebutwithcolorblendedusingthefingertips.Asthispastelpaintingprogressed,Imovedthehueoftheshadowareasofthecloudsmoretowardtheblueandminimizedtheyellowinthelightareas.Therichcolorsofthecloudsarereflectedontheforegroundwater.Thistimeofdayisoccasionallyreferredtoasthegoldenhour,and

Thistimeofdayisoccasionallyreferredtoasthegoldenhour,andhencethecontrastsofwarmandcoolaswellaslightanddarkareaccentuated.Consequently,thisparticulardyadofyellowtovioletseemstoappropriatelyexpressthedramaandbeautyofthistimeofday.

STEP1:ArrangethecompositionUsethepreviousfinishedpastelasareferenceasyoubeginthisoil.SketchthedrawingquicklyoncanvastintedwithBurntSiennaacrylic.Inkeepingwiththefictivepositioningconceptofcomposition,Ihavedrawnatriangleonthisoilinthebeacharea(justasinthedrawingstepofthepasteldemo)toindicatetherelationshipsofthegroupsoffiguresandhowthebeachitselfrecedesintospace,withcorrespondingdiminutionofthesizeofthefigures.

STEP2:BlockinthemainelementsMassintheformsandmajorlightareas,asyoudidinthepasteldemo.Here,I’vedecidedtomakethecloudshadowsideawarmtone.Createthiswarmgrayintheshadowareaofthecloudswithamixtureofwhite,YellowOchreandsomesmalleramountsofUltramarineBlue.KeeptheskyarelativelylowerchromaofbluebymixingUltramarineBluewithsomesmallamountsofBurntUmber.Theideaistocreatethesoftatmosphericqualityofdiffuselightratherthantheintensehuesofmidday.

GLOUCESTERSKY,SEPTEMBEROiloncanvas.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)

STEP3:Rearrangethecloudsandfine-tunethecolorsThebiggestchangemadeinvolvedrearrangingthecloudstobelesssymmetricalandmoredynamic.Thecloudsareorganizedintofourmajorbanks,andtheshadowareaofeachisadifferenthueandvalue.Althoughthedyadtreatmentisnotasprevalentasinthepastelversion,therearestillsubtlenuancesofthevioletandyellowcolorscheme.Thelightonthecloudsisagoldenhueoflateafternoonwithorangeaccents,andtheclouds(reflectedinthewater)veertowardblue-violet.The

andtheclouds(reflectedinthewater)veertowardblue-violet.Theintenseorange(CadmiumOrangeplusCadmiumYellow)onthecentralcloudisplacedatthetransitionbetweenlightandshadow.PaintthemainareaoftheforegroundcloudusingUltramarineBlue,PermanentRose,someBurntUmberandwhite.Maketheothercloudslighterandwarmer,usingvaryingamountsofwhite,PermanentRose,blackandYellowOchre.PainttheforegroundbeachandlightareasoftherockswithamixofYellowOchre,NaplesYellow,CadmiumOrangeandwhite.PainttheshadowareawithBurntUmber,UltramarineBlueandblack.Mixthemidtoneofthelighterrocksintheshadowareausingthesamecombination,lightenedwithYellowOchreandwhite.Painttheforegroundbeachandlightareasoftherockswithamixture

ofYellowOchre,NaplesYellow,CadmiumOrangeandwhite.PainttheshadowareawithBurntUmber,UltramarineBlueandblack.Mixthemidtonehueofthelighterrocksintheshadowareausingthesamecombination,lightenedwithYellowOchreandwhite.Althoughthispaintingfeaturesthesky,theconcernwiththearrangementofthefiguresstillallowsmetothinkofitasafigurativepainting.

CHAPTERFIVE

conveyingperspective

Apaintercanimplementperspectivewithamodicumofstudyandresearchfrombooksandonlinesources.Conversely,manyscholarsandscientistshaveproventhatperspectivecanalsobeanexhaustive,mathematicalandtechnicalinvestigation.Thischapteroutlinesafewkeyconceptsanddescribeshowtouselinearandaerialperspectivetechniquestopaintrealisticimagerythatismorebelievable.Byconsideringsomeperspectivebasicsattheonsetorinceptionofanypainting,wecanmakeourcompositionsstrongerandmoreorganized.

JANUARYEVENING—VINEYARDINPERUGIAOilonlinenonpanel.18"×20"(46cm×51cm)ThiswaspaintedonlocationjustoutsideofthenorthernwalloftheancientcityofPerugiainUmbria,incentralItaly.ManydaysinthewinterarenotsocoldinUmbriaastomakepleinairpaintingoverlydifficult.Here,thereisaperspectivesetupbythevineyardposts(allsuggestedquicklywiththinpaint)thatarerecedingbackandupahilltotheleft.Thehousewasseenstraight-on,moreorless,sotherewerenoorthogonalsorotherlinearperspectiveissues.Aerialperspectiveissuggestedbythediffusegoldenlightnearthesettingsunandthegrayofthedistant

lightnearthesettingsunandthegrayofthedistantmountain.

PerspectiveTermstoKnowThefollowinglistreviewssomeofthebasictermsnecessaryforrelatingtoperspectiveinart.

RIVERVALLEY—FRENCHAZILUM,PAOiloncanvas.36"×40"(91cm×102cm)Privatecollection,NJ

Aerial(oratmospheric)perspective

Theaerialperspectiveisdepictedherebysuggestingtheeffectsofatmosphereinthedistantmountains.Thecloserrangeispaintedwithbluesintheshadowsandgreensinthelighterareaswherethesunhits.Thenextrangeofmountainsbehinditcontainssimilarhues,butwithlightervaluesandlessvaluecontrastthanintherestofthepainting.

Linearperspective|Atypeofperspectiveinwhichdepthisconveyedbytherecessionofobjectsintospaceandparallellinesthatappeartoconvergeinthedistance.

Aerial(oratmospheric)perspective|Atypeofperspectiveinwhichatmosphericeffectsareusedtocreatedepth.Thinkoftheeffectsofmoistureintheair,whichmakesdistantmountainsappearbluishanddiffuse.

Coneofvision(ortheopticcone)|Thestandard60-degreeareavisibletohumanswithoutturningtheheadoreyes.Wide-anglelensesextendthisarea,andtelephotolensesdecreaseitbutmagnifytheview.

Pictureplane|Animaginaryverticalplaneplacedbetweenanobjectandthepersonviewingit,representingthedivisionbetweentheportrayedspaceandtheviewer.

Groundline(orbaseline)|Ahorizontallineonthegroundorflooratthebaseofthepictureplane.

Horizonline(oreyelevel)|Ahorizontallinerepresentingtheeyeleveloftheviewer.Establishingthisreferencepointiscrucialtocreatingrealisticart,especiallywhereperspectiveissuesarepredominant.Theplacementofthislineonthepaperorcanvasisalsoanimportantinitialconsiderationforcomposition.

Groundplane|Thesurfaceuponwhichobjectsareplaced.

Stationpoint(orvantagepoint)|Theintendedpositionoftheviewer’seyeasthepaintingisobserved.

Pointofsight(orthecenterofvision)|Thepointonthehorizonlinedirectlyinfrontoftheviewer,correspondingtothevanishingpointinone-point

perspective.Thispointisusuallyplottedbytheartistonthepaperorcanvasforreference.

Vanishingpoint|Thepointorpointsonthehorizonwhererecedingparallellinesappeartoconverge.

Orthogonals|Inlinearperspective,diagonallinesthatcanbedrawnalongrecedingparallellinestothevanishingpoint.

Theconeofvision

Thisillustrationshowshowwetypicallyunderstandtheopticconeofhumanvision.Wehavea60-degreearcofinclusivenessinourvision,whichextendsbothtothesideandupanddown.Theareaoutsideoftheconeisconsideredperipheralvision.

Theopticconeinastreetscene

Thissketchsuggestshowmuchatypicalvisualconewouldincludeinastreetscene.Thesmallerthespace,thesmallerthevisualconeareawillbe.Theinsideofaroomwouldhaveasmallervisualcone,butaswegooutside,asshownhere,thespaceexpands.

One-pointperspective|Linearperspectivewherealltheparallellinesappeartorecedetoasinglevanishingpoint.Examplesofabsoluteone-pointperspectiveareelusiveandusuallydon’tadheretotheperfectmodel;aslightshiftfromadirectfrontalviewofabuildinginascenewillrevealothervanishingpoints.

Two-pointperspective|Linearperspectivewherealltheparallellinesappeartorecedetotwovanishingpoints,whichinpaintingsarealmostalwayslocatedoff

thepaperorcanvas.Two-pointperspectiveiseasilyobservedwhenstandingatanangletoabuilding(seetheLinearPerspectivesection).

Three-pointperspective|Linearperspectiveinwhichallparallellinesappeartorecedetotwovanishingpointsonthehorizonandalsoathirdpointfaraboveorfarbelow.Thisiseasilyvisualizedbyimaginingyourvantagepointtobeatthecornerofatallskyscraper,withtheparallellinesdiminishingskywardaswellastotheleftandright.

Foreshortening|Shorteningthelinesofanobject,therebydistortingitsshape,inordertocreatetheillusionofthatobjectrecedingintospace.Forexample,anyperfectcircleinarealisticscenewouldbedepictedasanellipsis.

CLOUDSOVERCAYUGAOiloncanvas.12"×48"(30cm×122cm)CollectionofRichBenson,Ithaca,NY

Foreshortening

Inthispainting,thetraincarsareviewedfromananglethatincorporatesforeshortening.Wealsoseeanexpansionuponwhatisnormallyseenwithinouropticcone.Thepanoramicorwideviewpresentedherewouldrequireturningyourheadtotheleftandrighttotakeinthesceneasshowninthispainting.

LinearPerspectiveAknowledgeofperspectiveisanecessaryandvaluabletooltounderstandanduseinyourworktoassistincreatingrealisticimages,especiallywhenbuildingsareinvolved.However,perspectivecomesintoplayinmanyotherwayswhenthereisnoarchitectureshown—forexample,ingettingfieldstoappeartohavetherightdepthandlayflatintheplanedepicted,withthecorrectangles.Understandingthemanyaspectsofperspectivecanberewardingand

beneficialtoaugmentingtheappealofrealisminyourwork.But,Idon’tbelieveitisnecessarytobemathematicallyrigid(especiallyforpleinairwork),asonewouldseeinamechanicaldrawing.Understandingsomeofthebasics,however,isrequired.Knowingabouteyelevel,orthogonals,vanishingpointsandatmospherewillprovideyouwithsomeessentialstartingpoints,andwithpracticeatobservingandthendrawingandpainting,youwillgraduallybecomemoreproficientandseeimprovedresultsinyourwork.

Lookingatasceneinperspective

Illustratedareseveralofthetermsdefinedonthepreviouspages.Thefrontedgeofthecubeisbuttingupagainstthepictureplaneandonthebaseline;hereitisseenfromabove.Ourvantagepointisevenaboveandbehindourmodelviewer

shown.Becauseweareabovehim,hisheadisnotalignedwiththeeyelevel/horizon,butfromhisposition,thehorizonisalwaysateyelevel.Thinkofthepictureplaneasanimaginarytransparentsheetbehindwhichalltheobjectsareplaced.Ourspaceisinfrontofthepictureplane;alltheobjectsinagivenscenearebehindthisimaginaryplane.

LOADINGSPACKLE—LAMBERTVILLE,NJOiloncanvas.10"×30"(25cm×76cm)Privatecollection,Lambertville,NJ

One-pointperspective

Thisstreetscenepaintingemploysone-pointperspective.Thepointofsightandvanishingpointcoincideattheendofthestreet,withorthogonals(perspectivelines),suchasstreetcurbsandbuildinglines,convergingthere.Inthispainting,thewide-anglereferencephotosIusedstretchedthestandard60-degreeareathatistypicallyvisibletous,thusextendingtheopticcone,orconeofvision.

GOATSPLAYINGASHOODORNAMENTSANDWEATHERVANESOilonlinen.32"×40"(81cm×102cm)CollectionofWoodyWoodland,NorthRiver,NY

Two-pointperspective

Inthisexampleofstandardtwo-pointperspective—bestobservedwhenlookingatbuildingsfromanangle—alltheorthogonalsconvergeatthetwoeye-levelvanishingpoints,locatedoffthecanvastotheleftandright.Combininggoatswithasmall-townsettingappealedtomysenseofthe

irrational,andthenon-sequitur-likeaspecttheypresented.Ihaveheardthatclimbingoncarsisafeatsure-footedgoatscaneasilydo,muchtotheconsternationoftheirowners.Thisscenewasimaginedbutinspiredbythewell-manicuredsettingsofthenortheasternUnitedStates.

manicuredsettingsofthenortheasternUnitedStates.

VIGNOLAVIEW,BARGAPastelonpaper.28"×18"(71cm×46cm)

Three-pointperspective

Myvantagepointhereisfromabove,allowingaslightthree-pointperspective.I

Myvantagepointhereisfromabove,allowingaslightthree-pointperspective.Iusuallytendtominimizethethirddownwardorupwardvanishingpointtokeeptheverticallinesparallel(moreorless)tothesidesofthecanvasorpaper.Buthere,asweareabovethegardenandhouse,allthelinesofthepostsandthesidesofthehousecouldbeslantedinsuchawayastoleaddowntothethirdvanishingpointatthebottom.Theconceptofthree-pointperspectiveisusuallybestunderstoodbystanding

atacitycornerandlookinguptowardthetopofaskyscraperwhilebeingabletoseedownastreettoyourrightandleftaswell,observingorthogonalsineachdirectionrecedingtowardthreevanishingpoints.

DecidingtheEyeLevelWewanttocreateaninterplayofeffectiveintervalsbetweenobjectsanddivisionsofspacewithinourpaintings,andthefirstoneofthesedivisionstodetermineisthehorizontaldivisionmadebytheeyelevelplacement.Determiningtheeyelevel(orhorizonline)foryourcompositionwillgreatlyaffectyourfinalpainting.Forexample,thetwopaintingsofRomeshownonthispageandthenextdepictthesameareaalongtheTiberRiver,butasseenfromtwodifferentanglesandattwodifferenttimesofday,withtheeyelevelsignificantlydifferentineach.(Youcanseeavideoofeachpaintinginprogressatbriankeeler.com.)Justbyconsideringasimplebutfundamentalconceptofwheretheeyelevelisplaced,wecanopenupmanyoptionsandcreativepossibilities.Beforeyoucanfactortheeyelevelsuccessfullyintoawork,youneedtobe

abletofinditinthesceneyouareabouttopaint.Withaviewthatincludesbuildings,oneeasywaytofindtheeyelevelistosimplylookforthelinesthatarehorizontal.Inalandscapewithallorganicshapesandobjects,thetaskismorechallenging,butelementssuchasfieldsandroadsorrockscanassistinthediscovery.Onceyouhavedeterminedwheretheeyelevelisinthesceneinfrontofyou,

youmustdecidewheretoplaceitonyourcanvasorpaper.OftenIseestudentsautomaticallyploptheeyelevelsmackinthemiddle,dividingthecanvasinhalfhorizontally.ThisworkedforLeonardodaVinciinhispaintingoftheLastSupper,wherehepositionedtheeyelevelinthemiddle,withalltheorthogonalsconvergingatthecenterintheheadofChrist.Forusmeremortals,however,itisbettertocreateamoreinterestinganddynamicdivisionofspacebyraisingorloweringtheeyelevelsoit’snotaperfectdivision.

CASTELSANT’ANGELO,ROMEOilonlinen.24"×26"(61cm×66cm)

Letwhatyouwanttoemphasizehelpdecidetheeyelevel

ThisworkwasdoneonthepromenadealongtheeastbankoftheTiberinRome,lookingupstreamtowardtheCastelSant’Angelo.Thepaintingwascompletedmostlyonlocationbutwithdetailslikethesculleraddedlater.WhenIfirstcameuponthisviewonemorning,itwastheplayoflightandreflectionsintheriverthatIfoundengaging.Consequently,Ineededmorespaceatthebottom.Theeyelevelhasbeenplacedjustenoughabovethehalfwaypointofthecanvastobe

levelhasbeenplacedjustenoughabovethehalfwaypointofthecanvastobeappreciatedasanunequaldivision.However,thebridge,PonteVittorioEmanueleII,andCastelSant’Angeloatthetopallbecometheareastowhichoureyeisledtoandthrough.Thescullerontheriverontheleftisalsoheadingupstreamandintothepainting.Heservestounderscorethedirectionalmomentumoftheperspective.

ST.ANGELOSUNSET,ROMEOilonlinen.24"×26"(61cm×66cm)

Openspacesharpensthefocus

Thispaintingwasstartedlateintheafternoon.Iplottedwherethesunwaseventuallygoingtosetandplannedthepaintingaccordingly.Thecloudswereinventedbutbasedonpreviousobservations.Inthisoil,Ihaveplacedtheeyelevelquitelow,aboutone-quarterupfromthebottom.Theskyandcloudsareanimportantpartofthiswork,butasbackground.Theextendedareaofskyservestobringoutthecityevenmoreso.Largeareasofopenspacemakeforeffectivedesigns,astheyhelptoaccentuatetheobjectsintheotherareas.

designs,astheyhelptoaccentuatetheobjectsintheotherareas.

SUMMERRHYTHMSCAPE—WYALUSING,PAOilonlinen.52"×48"(132cm×122cm)Privatecollection,Doylestown,PA

Aviewfromuphigh

Thisviewisfromanoverlookthataffordsthevieweravantagepointsimilartowhatabirdmightsee,witharatherextremeforeshorteningontheobjectsbelow.InthisworkitwastheplayofafternoonlightontherollingfieldsthatIwantedtobringout.Thereforetheeyelevelneededtobeplacedveryhighonthe

wantedtobringout.Thereforetheeyelevelneededtobeplacedveryhighonthecanvas—runninghorizontallythroughthevariousslantingmountains—toincludetheexpanseofthelandscape.Thisscenecouldalsobedepictedwiththeeyelevelplacedwayatthebottomofthecanvas,butallthefieldswouldbeeliminated,therebyopeninguptheskytoapossiblecloudstudy.

AnalyzingAngles&TheirRelationshipsEvenifyoudonotbringouttheanglesobservedinascene,orchoosenottoexaggeratetheminapainting,itisimportanttolearnhowtoanalyzeanglesandtheirrelationshipstoeachother.Thisskillisinvaluableinportrayinganyrealisticsubject.Establishingperfectverticalsandhorizontalswithacrossdrawnonthecanvas

(whichbisectsthecanvaseachway)willhelpyouanalyzealltheangleswithinascene.Whenlookingatthesubject,simplyuseabrushorpencilhelduptoanygivenshapetodeterminehowmuchdeviationthereisfromtheperfecthorizontalorvertical,andyoucanapplythesamedeviationtoyourdrawing.Whenworkingfromlife,theuseofplumblines—imaginarylinescomingeitherverticallyorhorizontallyfromanygivenobject—canalsohelpyouaccuratelyplacethekeyfeaturesofanysubject.Thesideofthecanvaswhensetontheeasel,ifitisperfectlyvertical,mayalsoserveasaguide,muchasthedrawncrossdoes.Stressinganglesbringsoutacertainclarityinascene.However,onecan

choosetominimizetheexpressionofangularity,eventhoughitisperceivedandrealized.Theunderstatingandsofteningofanglesleadstoamorefeminine,roundedquality,withconvexformsemphasized.

Angularemphasis

Thisdrawingoverlayonablack-and-whiteimageofthepaintingshowshowappraisingandexpressinganglescanberealized.Thecompassattheleftservesasaguideindetermininghowmuchdeviationfromaperfecthorizontalorverticalthereisinanygivenangle.Inthepainting,therewasapurposefulefforttoemphasizetheanglesinthefigureandinthefoldsofthesheet.

MEGANWITHGOLDENSHEETSOiloncanvas.36"×48"(91cm×122cm)CollectionofPeteandKathiBovine,Southport,NC

AerialPerspectiveTheuseofaerialperspectiveinalandscapeisamarvelouswaytosupplementthedepictionofspace.Thephenomenaofmountainsanddistantobjectstodecreaseinvalue(lighten)andcrispnessandtobecomemorebluishorhazyhaslongbeenobservedandincorporatedintoart.AerialperspectiveinartisevidentasfarbackasancientfrescopaintingsfromPompeii.Theobservedeffectsofatmosphereinthelandscape,however,gainedpopularityintheRenaissancewithLeonardodaVinci,andthedepictionofatmospherichazewasknownthereafterassfumato.Thegeneralprocessistoshowtheeffectsofairbymutingthehuesandmakingthevalueslighterandlesscontrastingfortheobjectsfartherawayfromtheviewer.Toassistincreatingdepthinawork,keepthequalityofedgesinmind.The

generalruleofthumbistomaketheedgessofterinthedistanceandmoredefinedintheforeground.

AUGUSTMORNING—STONINGTON,MAINEOiloncanvas.36"×36"(91cm×91cm)

Lesscontrastandintensityinthedistance

Linearperspectiveisatworkhere,aswellaselementsofaerialperspectiveintheatmosphereandbluishislandsinthedistance.Asthelayersofhillsorislandsatthehorizonrecedeintospaceorgotowardthepointwheretheskyandwatermeet,theygraduallygetlighterandgrayer,havinglesscontrastandlessintensity.

lessintensity.

ROADTOTHEVALLEY—HOMETSFERRY,PAOilonlinen.54"×60"(137cm×152cm)Progressivelylighterlayersofvalue

Theairatthistimeaftersunsetonawintereveninghasasofteningeffectontheland.Ihavereservedthedarkestdarksandthemostcontrastfortheroadandtreesintheforeground.Then,thebarn,treesandbalesinthemiddlegroundareblockedinwithdarktomiddlevalues.Aswemovefurtherintothepainting,thehillbeyondthebuildingsisdepictedwithbluishgray,wherethevaluesaredistinctlylighter.Theneachlayerofmountainbeyondcontinuestobeportrayed

withlighteroverallvalue.

GainingNewInspirationFromaFamiliarLocationIsometimesspeculatethat80percentofcreatingalandscapepaintingconsistsofactivelylookingfortherightspot.Sometimesithappensthroughachancediscovery,butmoreoftenittakesaconcertedeffort.So,whenIcanreturntoadependableview,itmakesthingsatadeasier.Tointerpretthesamelocationmorethanonceisawonderfulwaytoprimeour

creativityorstretchourcapacitytofindnewapproaches.Justchangingourvantagepointwillintroducenewpossibilities,anditwillbeuptoustoevokeorcoaxoutthebeautyandintrigue.Changingthetimeofdayisonegoodwaytoobtainanentirelynewwork

fromthesamescene.Revisitingasceneinthemorning,afternoonornighttimecanrevealmanynewaspectstothesamescene.Changingtheseasonshownisanotherwaytoalterthesceneandanopportunitytomodifyourimpression.Changingthelightingconditionsisanotherwaytoportrayascenedifferently.Forexample,incorporatingdarkstormcloudswithdramaticsunlightstreamingthrough,orvisualizingthesamesceneunderblueskieswilloffertwointerestingoptionstoexplore.I’vepaintedthisparticularstretchofroadinPennsylvania(nearWyalusing)

perhapsadozentimesormore.Itpresentsawonderfulvistawithinfinitepossibilities.Here,wewillcomparethreedifferentinterpretationsofthislandscape.

SUMMERLIGHTTHROUGHTREES—HOMETSFERRY,PAOiloncanvas.30"×60"(76cm×152cm)CollectionofLindaGraves,Ithaca,NY

Conveyingthelastlightraysofasummerday

Inthiswork,thelightwasvisualizedasitmayhavebeen.Myprimaryinterestwastoconveythesummerlightasthefinalraysofthedayilluminatedthelandwithawarmthandglow.Iusedlightandmidtonewarmcolorscontrastedwiththedarkandlesschromaticareasoftrees.Inthefields,theshadowareaswerealsokeptwarm,withYellowOchre,ChromiumOxideGreenandRawUmber.Theroadcontainsmorechromaticviolethuestocontrastwiththewarmhueselsewhere.Thehaybaleswereinventedtoaddinteresttotheforeground.Theyalsoadd

anotherleveltotheprogressionoftrees,house,roadandmountains,allleadingbackinspace.

HOMETSFERRYAUTUMNEVENINGLIGHTOiloncanvas.30"×64"(76cm×163cm)diptych

Achangeofseasonandadramaticdyad

Thisviewleadsdownthesameroadasshowninthepreviousimage,butfartherdowninthevalley.Thediptychformatdrawsattentiontotheoverallcompositionanddistributionofshapes.Thelightisagainthesourceofinspiration;however,Iwantedtoconveythelightthroughanarrangementofcolorthatincorporatedtheoffsetcomplementsturquoiseandrust.Theorangeandrussetcolorsofthemassesoftreesarepairedagainstthemostlybluishgreenofthehillside.

HOMETSFERRYWINTEREVENINGOilonpanel.22"×48"(56cm×122cm)

Arrangingcolorsandlinestopointthewaytothefocalpoint

Thiswinterviewshowsrowsofearthcomingupthroughthesnow,leadingtheeyeuptothehouseonthehorizon.Thesnowandfieldpatternsalsobringouttheslightlyrollingtopography.Thehigh-chromacoloraroundthesunandtreescontrastswiththegrayishwhiteofthesnowinshadowandthedormantochre/umbergrass,alongwiththehouseandotherbuildings,whichareallsupportingactorsthatleaduptothesun.

OILDEMONSTRATION

SeasideSky:KeepingCloudsinPerspectiveThemaingoalinthisdemonstrationistounderstandhowlandandskycanbeportrayedtoworkinconcertwhileaugmentingtheoverallpictorialspace.Thecloudsbecomeanexerciseinperspective,andyouwillseehowtheyprovideatypeofcorollaryperspectivethatsupplementsthespatialrelationshipdescribedbylandandsea.

MaterialsSurface:Stretchedmedium-weavelinen,26"×30"(66cm×76cm)Paintcolors:BurntSienna•BurntUmber•CadmiumOrange•CadmiumRedLight•CeruleanBlue•ChromiumOxideGreen•CobaltBlue•NaplesYellow•PermanentRose•PhthaloGreen•PrussianBlue•RawUmber•UltramarineBlue•VenetianRed•White•YellowGreen(Utrecht)•YellowOchreOther:NeutralGrayacrylicpaint(Utrecht)

MONHEGANOILSTUDYOilonpanel.14"×16"(36cm×41cm)

Oilstudy

ThispleinairstudywasdoneonlocationinMonhegan,apicturesqueislandoffthecoastofMainewheremanyotherartistshavesoughtthemuse,includingAmericanpaintersRobertHenri,WinslowHomer,RockwellKentandtheWyeths.Paintingonlocationallowsyoutoexperiencethescenedirectlyandgleanimportantimpressionsthatwouldnotcomefromphotosalone.

STEP1:ShiftthefocustotheskyTintthesurfacewithNeutralGrayacrylicfirst.UseBurntUmberandsometimesBurntSiennatosketchintheimage.Imadesignificantchangesinthecompositionfromtheoriginalstudy,includingalteringtheeyeleveltobemuchloweronthepictureplane.Thedistributionofshapeshaschangedtomaketheskyandcloudsthemainemphasisinthepainting.Perspectivecomesintoplayinasignificantwaybecauseoftherooflinesofthehouses.

STEP2:BlockintheskyandwaterBeginblockingintheskywiththinpassagesofbluearoundtheclouds,usingamixtureofUltramarineBlue,CobaltBlueandwhite.Forthewater,keepthevaluesdarker,usingPrussianBlue,UltramarineBlueandBurntUmber.Astheskynearsthehorizon,warmupthebluebyaddingCerulean

Blueasyoulightenwithwhite.Doasimilarprocesswiththewater,lighteningandwarmingasthewaterapproachesthehorizon.

STEP3:DevelopthecloudsandtheforegroundStartarticulatingtheformofthecloudswithwhite.Intheclouds,IwilloftenaddsmallamountsofNaplesYellowtothelightareastocreateawarmertone,resultingfromthesun.Intheshadowareasoftheclouds,useequalbutsmallamountsofPhthaloGreenandPermanentRosemixedwithwhitetoproduceaneutralgray.Dependingonhowmuchofthegreenorroseisused,theresultingcolorwillbeeitherturquoise-likeormauve-like.PainttheforegroundgrasswithYellowOchre,YellowGreen(Utrecht)

andsomeNaplesYellow.Forthewarmerspots,useChromiumOxideGreenwithwhiteandYellowOchretoproduceawarmgreen.Whileaddingthecolorinmasses,developtheformofthehill.

addingthecolorinmasses,developtheformofthehill.

MONHEGANSKYOilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

STEP4:AdddimensiontothecloudsandwaterBuildupthehighlightsinthecloudsandmodeltheirformwhiledoingsotogivethemathree-dimensional,sculptedquality.Addanotherlayerofpainttothesky,withdarkervaluesatthetop,usingCobaltBlueandUltramarineBluewithlesswhite.Astheskynearsthehorizon,lightenitwithwhiteandCeruleanBlue,whilesofteninganddiffusingtheedgewherethewaterandskymeet.Deepenthecontrastandadddetailsasyouworkalloverthepainting.

Deepenthecontrastandadddetailsasyouworkalloverthepainting.Theredchimneyandtheshirtofthewomanreadingare“punchedup”atadbymakingthemmoreintensewithCadmiumRedLight,VenetianRedandwhite.Thechimneyineffectbecomesthebrightestnoteofcolorinthecomposition,withthewomantotheleftasortofcounterpointorsecondaryinterest.LightenandwarmthegreenhueoftheforegroundgrasswithNaplesYellowaddedtoChromiumOxideGreenandwhite.Developthebackgroundlandwithevenwarmercolors,usingYellowOchre,CadmiumOrangeandwhiteinthelightgrassyareas.Inthedarkerareasneartherocks,useRawUmber,BurntUmberandsomewhite.Makesuretomaintainanddefinetheareasofrockyterrain.Tohelpcreatespatialdepthinthewater,addhorizontalbandsoflightercolor.

OILDEMONSTRATION

Cityscape:PerfectingStreetScenePerspectiveInthiscityscape,ourgoalsaretoshowthemeetingofnineteenth-centuryarchitectureandtoday,showingoldbuildingscontrastedinthereflectionsonamoderncar,whiledemonstratingone-pointperspective.Inthisscene,themiddaysunwasalsocreatinginterestingeffectsandbringingoutthegeometricdesignsofthebuildings,whichcontrastedwiththefluidcurvilinearreflectionsonthecar.

MaterialsSurface:Stretchedmedium-weavelinen,26"×30"(66cm×76cm)Paintcolors:AlizarinCrimson•BurntUmber•CeruleanBlue•ChromiumOxideGreen•CobaltBlue•NaplesYellow•PermanentRose•PhthaloGreen•PrussianBlue•UltramarineBlue•VenetianRed•White•YellowOchreOther:RawSiennaacrylicpaint

STEP1:MindperspectiveasyousketchWorkingonacanvastintedwithRawSiennaacrylic,beginthedrawingwithBurntUmberpaint.Thedrawingstagehererequiresalotofworkandattentiontodetails.Thisisessentiallyone-pointperspective,withthevanishingpointindicatedwithan“X”abovethecar’sluggagerackonthepassengerside.

STEP2:EstablishalighttostartStartthepaintingstagebyblockinginthelightofthebuildingontheright(IusedChromiumOxideGreen,NaplesYellowandwhitetoachievethedesiredhue).Alsobegintoworkonthesignage.Iparticularlyliketheslantoflightcomingthroughthedrugstoresign.

STEP3:BlockinandmassthedarksStartblockingintheshadowareas.Thisscenelendsitselftopaintingbecauseofthenicedivisionoflightanddark.Itishelpfultotrytomassthedarkssotheyaremoreorlessconsistentinvalue.UseBurntUmberwithPhthaloGreenandsometimesVenetianRedtocreateasortoflow-chroma,evennondescriptshadow.Forshadows,sometimesweincreasetheintensityastheImpressionistswereknowntodo;atothertimes,asIdidhere,weexaggeratethemysterybykeepingthemlessdefined,withthinnerpaintandlessdetail.

STEP4:StartthecarStarttoworkonthereflectedsurfaceofthecarintheforeground.Thepatternsofdistortedreflectionsinthecaraddtotheappealofthisimage.Useavarietyofblues,butkeepthemtoneddownorofminimizedintensity.Intheshadowarea,useUltramarineBluewithBurntUmberandperhapssomePrussianBlue.Inthelightareas,theblueisamixtureofCeruleanBlue,whiteandAlizarinCrimson.Inthewindshield,themauveisachievedbyaddingmoreAlizarinCrimsonorPermanentRose.

STEP5:BegintheskyandstreetNowblockinthelargeareasoftheskyandthestreet.Whilepaintingthese,itisimportanttokeepinmindthevaluerelationships,determiningwhatislightagainstdarkordarkagainstlight.Forthesky,useCobaltBlue,CeruleanBlue,UltramarineBlueandwhiteinvaryingdegrees.Thestreetissunlitandlightinvalue,awarmgraycomprisedofwhite,BurntUmber,ChromiumOxideGreenandYellowOchre.

STEP6:WorkondetailsandbuildingcontrastBegindevelopingthewomanhailingthecabandarticulatingdetailsinthebuildingsandthecarintheforeground.Forthecar,addsomedarkeraccentsandincreasethechromaincertaincolors.Nowarticulatesomeofthedetailsofthereflectedbuildingsinthehood.Theorangeinthehoodofthecarinstep5wasstilltheundercoatshowingthrough,andhereIhavepaintedthisarea.Thesteeringwheelremainsasthetintedundercoatandserveswellasitis,withonlyminoradditions.Pushthehighlights,addingglintsinthemirrorandthetrimofthecar.Theskyhashadseverallayersofpigmentadded,andatthisstage

youwanttomovetoacoolerblue,whichmeansaddingmore

UltramarineBluewhiledarkeningthevalueatthetop.DarkenthebuildingontherightusingBurntUmberandperhapssomeVenetianRed.

HAILINGTHECABOilonlinen.26"×30"(66cm×76cm)

STEP7:BringtheformstofruitionInthisfinalstage,continuetodevelopdetailsandmodelform.Addsomecolortothecabsinthebackgroundandinterjectsomelavender-likecolorsintothepavement.MakethesidewalkontherightdarkerandcoolerwithUltramarineBlueandBurntUmber,tocontrastitwiththesunlitstreet.

sunlitstreet.OneofthechallengesofthispaintingwasthatIwasusingtwo

referencesthatwerenotincompleteagreement.Thisnecessitatedmanipulatingandinventingtheperspectiveinthecarinordertogettheorthogonalstoleadtowardthevanishingpoint.Thereissomewhatofadistortioncausedbythewide-anglelensusedforthephotoreference,whichinthiscasewarpsandmakestheperspectivelinescurvilinear.

DedicationToHoneychurch.

AcknowledgmentsTherearemanypeopletothankforseeingthisbookcometofruition.Therewereseveraleditorswholookedoverearlydraftsofsomeofthetext,andtheirhonestinputwasessentialtoforgingahead.TheseeditorswhopatientlyofferedtheirexpertiseincludeElissaWolfson,HilaryLaneandLindaGraves.TheeditorsatNorthLightBooksaretobepraisedaswell;intheearlystagestheseeditorsincludedVanessaWeilandandMaryBostic,whokepttheprojectgoing.ScottBallardalsoworkedwithmeovermanyyears,compilingimagesandtextinseveralearlydrafts,andwithouthistechnicalknow-howandcomputerskills,thisbookwouldnotbepossible.Toseetheprojectreallycometolife,however,thefinaleditoratNorthLightBooks,StefanieLaufersweiler,providedthepolishandfinessetofine-tunethemanuscriptandoverallconceptintoonethatwouldreachandcommunicatewithartstudentsandthegeneralpublic.

AboutAuthor

Paintingonthego

ThephotoshowshowIuseaportableSoltekeaselandvarioussuppliesforoilpainting,whichallfitontherackofmybicycle.Iusuallytaketwoelongated-rectanglepanelsofthesamesizeandtwomatchingoff-squarepanelstooffertheoptionoftwodifferentformats.Then,attheendofthepaintingsession,thewetpanelisplacedagainstthebackoftheunusedpanelforthereturntrip.

ExpressinganddescribingthebeautyoflighthasbeenthefocusofBrianKeeler’scareerinpainting,whichincludeslandscape,thefigure,portraits,stilllifeandallegoricalwork.Depictingthe“topographyoflight”isthewayhelikestodescribethisprocess,asthisphrasecommunicatesthewaylightplaysacross

formsinthemultifacetedexpressionsofboththelightandthesubjects.Inacertainsense,however,thelightactuallybecomesthesubjectforBrian,andthesceneordepictiontakesonasecondaryorsupportingrole.Heoftenchoosesthegoldenhourasthetimeforportrayingthemotifsheselects,asthislateafternoonorearlymorninglightaccentuatesthedramaofanygivenscene.Hisfigurativepaintingandothergenresalsoincorporateamarvelousappreciationforthewaylightcanrevealtheworldtous.Amongotherartists,patronsandthegeneralpublic,Brianisknownasa

colorist,asitisthequalityofhiscolorthatisoneofthememorableaspectsofhiswell-craftedworks.Hisartalsocombinesauniquesenseofcomposition,proportionalharmoniesanddraftsmanship,ashisoilpaintings,pastelsandwatercolorsshowanorchestrationoftheoverallrelationships.Briancombinestheseaestheticsoflightandstructuralcompositional

dynamicsinhisworkandinhisteachingandwriting,asheshareshisloveforpaintinginworkshopsintheUnitedStatesandabroad,mostnotablyinfigurepaintingandpleinaircoursestaughtinItaly.HehasbecomeapassionatestudentoftheItalianRenaissanceoverhismorethantwentyyearsofteachingandtravelinginItaly,sharingthesearthistoryinsightsinslidelecturesaswellasincorporatingsomeaspectsoftheclassicsintohisownallegoricalworks.BrianKeeleristhesonofaSundaypainterandnewspapereditor,thelate

WilliamW.Keeler,whomhecreditsforsparkinghisinitialinterestinart.BrianreceivedhisearlytrainingatasmallartschoolinsouthernPennsylvania,YorkAcademyofArts.Hispaintings,whichhavebeenfeaturedinAmericanArtistmagazine,havereceivednumerousawardsoveralongandproductivecareer,andhisworkisfeaturedinnumerousprivate,business,corporateandmuseumcollections.BrianlivesinIthaca,NewYork,andmaintainsastudioinhishometownofWyalusing,Pennsylvania,wherehefoundedtheBlueHeronArtGallery.InPennsylvania,hisworkhasbeenrepresentedattheLauraCraigGalleryinScrantonandtheRodgerLaPelleGalleriesinPhiladelphia,andin

NewYork,theWestEndGalleryinCorningandtheTitusGalleryinIthaca.Visithiswebsiteatbriankeeler.com.

CopyrightDramaticColorintheLandscape.Copyright©2014byBrianKeeler.Allrightsreserved.NopartofthiseBookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeansincludinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.PublishedbyNorthLightBooks,animprintofF+WMedia,Inc.,10151CarverRoad,Suite200,BlueAsh,OH45242.(800)289-0963.FirstEdition.

OtherfineNorthLightproductsareavailablefromyourlocalbookstore,artsupplystoreoronlinesupplier.Visitourwebsiteatfwmedia.com.

eISBN:9781440329388

Thise-bookedition:March2014(v.1.0)