The Shapes of Sunrise

The Shapes of Sunrise---A LESSON---painting is SOLD
I say that painting is easy! Like everything else it takes time and practice to get comfortable with all the variables. Variables such as what type of canvas? board? brush? brand of paint?...and then there's the KNOWLEDGE factor: does green and yellow make blue? what ratio of green to yellow? WHAT??? OH, I just wasted a bunch of green...
But after a while, you get better at it, or at LEAST braver! (I say that you ought to at least be brave when you try new things...this is also my driving philosophy when I am in a new town, and a rental car...I get lost a lot, but I do it with CONFIDENCE!)
I started the painting above with a class watching me. The lesson was this "painting is SIMPLY shapes of colors"...using a photo from my farm (September 30, to be precise) I made myself see the shapes of color. See below for this first step. Putting them in order first, I then COMPARE the relationships of the colors. For the finish, I make adjustments, and then "de-edge" some of the color shapes...
Now, that was a FREE lesson, but there's a little more to it...JOIN ME at one of my upcoming workshops, and I will share the rest! :) (schedule below)
WORKSHOPS:______________________________________________________________________
Jun 13-15 2011
Fredericksburg Artists School
Plein Air Color – Capturing the Impression Quickly ...or Painting and Sketching, Every Day (…and what to do with all those field studies!) http://www.fbgartschool.com/ for info and to register...hurry, it's almost full!

June 18- A one-day workshop, Smithville, TX... GREAT for beginners or "rusty" artists. Learn how to manage oil paints and the basics of painting quickly and impressionistically.

Oct 8-10
Workshop at Bone Creek, David City, NE ...in conjunction with the opening of my solo show

Passing America: The Great Plains in Lincoln, NE