“Winter Closing In”, 7×5″ oil on canvas. I painted this piece as a color study. One of my favorite times of year is the fall. I collect as much reference material as possible during the fall season to paint from throughout the year. You can check out other fall paintings on my web site.

Color Harmony

“If you were to research how many colors the human eye can perceive, you’d quickly discover the number to be astounding—as many as 20 million. God, the creator of the universe… and of all colors…was prolific in this area. On a smaller scale, my latest check of a website of my favorite brand of oil paints revealed over 100 different tubes of color to choose from.

An artist may get the values perfect and have a composition that’s sure to be a masterpiece, but without the beautiful variety of color, the attraction of a painting for the viewer will be lost. Color is one of the most powerful tools an artist has to influence the person looking at their painting. Color is the thing that compels many artists to paint in the first place. With color, the artist can establish depth: giving the viewer a three-dimensional sense as they look at a one-dimensional canvas surface. With color, the artist creates the mood: bright reds and yellows give a sense of vibrancy and life, while a painting full of grays may create an atmosphere that feels gloomy and sad. For the artist, the possibilities are endless. Each color choice heightens the emotional impact they wish to convey.

While the options with color are never-ending, so are the decisions. One of the most confusing choices for a beginning artist is which colors of paint to put on their palette. With all of its allure, color is one of the greatest challenges for an artist because there are so many colors to consider.” (Adapted from my book Life Palette)