September 22, 2018

It's cool and crisp today—the perfect day for breaking out some new school supplies and trying something new. This also works in the world of art, as you can see below. Steve made a shopping trip and has exciting new colors on his exciting new palette. Seriously, this kind of thing quickens the pulse of artists everywhere.

And then, Steve began to get to know his new colors. He made this color chart where he mixed each of his six colors (that's really all it takes!) with every other one...

...before doing a chart where he combines two of his colors in varying amounts to get a mixing spectrum chart. These swatch charts are incredibly valuable, especially for someone like Steve who has been painting for a while and knows what these charts mean.

Marva is all about color, too. She's going back to her psychedelic roots and using flat, vibrant colors to set a mood. And it works—we're all feeling happy and smiling.

Sara went shopping for art supplies too. She also visited the library to do some research on color palettes. All in preparation for her next painting. She begins with this tiny, old, B/W photo of her mother....

... and moves on to a small value sketch.

Then, she fine tunes and redraws her value sketch to the size she intends to paint it.

Finally, Sara does a color study. There only are three colors here, but already we see interesting shapes everywhere, and a spotlight focus on her subject.

Susan is also revisiting an old painting with an eye to using composition to better tell her story. Notice how the mountains cradle the hanging coffins of Sagada?

Elaine T. is also working with a black and white photo to paint this tree stump. Notice the exuberant use of color and texture. She's debating leaving the background white (as for a botanical painting). Come back and see what she chooses to do.

Elaine O. is still delighted with her new art supplies from three weeks ago. She's used that brush to finish the painting below. Her main area of interest was the sunlight playing across the game players below (especially the little boy). She's debating if the figures need to be more backlit, but is pretty happy with the effect as it stands.

Ken is finishing the latest in his new series. Here, he's experimenting with using color to bring the main areas of the painting together. Ken thinks he's finished, but may go back to add a final touch or two. We love the effect of the wavy stripes and can't wait to see the next technique in the series.

After all the examples above, we're more excited than ever to see the color exercises. Kevin did his first color wheel (using only three colors). He's made it rather small—perfect for carrying around for reference.

Then, Kevin did the Grand Color Wheel, with hues, tints, tones and shades. This is also pocket sized, but there's a wealth of information packed into this small space.

Gabby has moved on to explore complimentary colors here. Notice the way complements enhance each other when they stand side-by-side (top pairings). And when they are mixed, they result in some lovely neutrals (see the bottom swatches). She's also done the "match your skin color" and the infamous "paper towel" exercises to the right. Nothing like experimenting with color!

 

There's still time to see Ken's paintings at the Ten Cat (and buy one, if you are so inclined). You can stroll by and see them in the windows—or you can go inside for beer and pool and a wonderful environment.

Mosaic Tomatoes.  Ken's exhibition at Ten Cat Tavern features his popular mosaic tomatoes series. Drop by to see the art...and maybe play some pool.

      Where:
      Ten Cat Tavern

      3931 N Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL

     When:
     August 22–October 15, 2018