Saturday, July 24, 2010

Dogwood Apparition


The new painting (above) was started about a month ago, the idea was to have the background resemble a black and white photo, with the action and dogwood providing the color in the foreground, sounds simple, right? The problem was with the gray tones, the formula for that color was a mix of; ultramarine blue, chrome green, raw sienna and burnt sienna. With that many colors in the recipe it was nearly impossible to duplicate the hue on a consistent basis. I could have changed the formula but I loved the gray this combo produced. By week three I had it down and painting progressed smoothly. I might have to make a few adjustments but for now I think its finished. What next?... after staring at these muted tones for so long I am craving a big gaudy clown painting... "hand me that cadmium red".

Above: Dogwood (Apparition) oil canvas 40x35