6.03.2009

A Colorless Challenge

This challenge from Karin Jurick's Different Strokes From Different Folks blog was tough for me! As you can see, the reference photo is colorless.....thus the challenge. Make up the color! How hard can that be? It's farmland and sky! Ahhh, but there are MANY different colors of blue and green and gray. I spent several hours on what I thought would be very straight forward and simple! After painting many, many swatches trying to decide on the right color for the mountains in the background, I reminded myself (as I often do) that I could paint this a billion different ways and just pick a color and start!!! Unfortunately I lapsed back into indecision when I got to the foreground and had to remind myself again! Trial and error and thinking and planning are good , up to a point......then you just have to paint!
The good part of this was that after I decided on the colors, and established the darks and lights, I found myself referring to the photo less and less since it wasn't providing me the color information I needed. It made it very clear just how much I rely on my visual resource!



4"x 12"
acrylic on board

Click on image for larger view.

12 comments:

Debra Keirce said...

This is beautiful Annie...You know, I went through the very same process painting this, and in the end, I changed the values of some of the tones in the photo reference, like the stark white roof. I just didn't like it bright when I added the color.

Dana Cooper said...

Great job on this Annie! I would guess that if you switched your painting to black and white it would be very similar to Karin's reference photo.
I agree that it was hard, but certainly valuable...next one is easier! :)

Ann Rogers said...

Looks like you deliberated on this just the right amount of time, since it turned out beautifully!

r garriott said...

Annie, your colors are sumptuous! I get a real feeling of humidity, and of healthy growing crops. I also like how you stayed close to the reference photo, but moved the buildings over for a more interesting composition.

(I noticed like you, when I attempted this challenge, that after the initial laying in of the elements I barely looked at the photo. That was quite freeing!)

Carol Horzempa said...

Annie - your painting is beautiful! I love how you simplified the shapes and your choice of colors are great!

Angela Elledge said...

Love the brightness of your color palette, well done!

dominique eichi said...

THis piece is beautiful so full of richness, light and depth.

Gary Keimig said...

I think you handled that challenge just perfectly. Your color choice is great.
Great blog

Honor Bradley said...

WoW! can I relate to what you posted. I love your take on the challenge! You have a beautiful handle on colors and values. I, too planned and replanned it in my head but in the end just went for it and referred very little to the photo, which was just what I needed to do as I need to learn the photo is a reference and I need not be a slave to it. Thanks

Gwen Bell said...

Great painting, Annie! You did such a good job on retaining all the values. Gorgeous colors and I like the way you kept the entire length of the scene.

Isn't Karin a wonderful teacher? She never fails to give us a big challenge! Afraid I missed the deadline on this one but still going to do it for practice.

Kerri Settle said...

It's beautiful and just like a lush summer day. One of my favorites from the challenge!

Barbara Pask said...

Just beautiful Annie, I really like your take on Karin's photo. I wondered what happened to you at Daves color workshop, I saw you were there in the beginning and vanished. So nice that he makes the recordings available to us to view anytime.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...