Using as her reference a photo of a drab winter scene, Dianne addresses how to use contrast of intensity and temperature to add color without changing the weather when nature give us mud. She uses a palette of colors gleaned from an hue analysis of an Anders Zorn painting.
This lesson is S26L1, Mud vs Color ofthe PREVENTING MUDDY COLOR series. Muddy color plagues many artists. Using as her reference a photo of a drab winter scene, Dianne addresses how to use contrast of intensity and temperature to add color without changing the weather when nature give us mud. She uses a palette of colors gleaned from an hue analysis of an Anders Zorn painting.
No single color can be muddy. Mud happens in relationship to surrounding colors. If a vocalist sings a flat note or a guitar string is out of tune, the off note by itself would not be offensive. The same is true for color. It requires a sour relationship to its neighbors to become muddy. This series explores four ways to prevent color from becoming muddy.
Rather than becoming refined paintings, all these lessons are studies, each showing a different concept for dealing with muddy color. Lessons Three is built on the study done in Lesson Two. Lessons One and Four are independent studies. If mastered, these four concepts can help any artist eliminate muddy color from their paintings.
With every brushstroke we make, we are composing. Just as with any creation, we begin with a structure, then as the art work begins we place shapes and colors according the concept with which we are working. But the time comes when we move to a different level of thinking and decision-making–that moment when our intention becomes to bring clarity and resolution to the work.
Among Dianne’s passions about painting and teaching painting is how composing principles can expand creative freedom if the artist transcends the “rule” idea and instead, transforms the principle into a tool that opens creative doors.
Read Dianne’s Compose blog posts HERE. Visit Dianne’s website and example her work HERE. And visit her YouTube Channel with dozens of Quick Tips HERE.
