Green

A couple of years ago, LexArts (the local arts council) sponsored a Kentucky artists exhibit.  Accompanying that was a panel and artist discussion on being a working artist in Kentucky.  Naturally, there was a decent amount of grumbling. To me, the most interesting complaint was voiced by an artist who proclaimed that he didn't really like to paint the Kentucky landscape, because he hated the color green.  He had a point.  If you don't like the color green, the Kentucky landscape would be a challenge.  Even if you like green, the color is a challenge. Even photographing green is a challenge. If you were to exactly replicate the green in a photograph on a painting, the result would look fakey.  The truth is that when you want to represent green in a painting, you need to see all the colors that are underneath and on top of it. For example, in the painting to the left, yellow and deep red watercolor are painted underneath the pastel. And highlights of yellow are generously sprinkled over the green pastel.

These are the kinds of things we will be talking about during my four week class at the Lexington Art Academy: Experimenting with Watercolor and Pastel. Knowing what you are seeing is more important than having a technique down pat.  Being willing to try something to achieve what you want is also important.  Believe me, this will be a safe environment for giving it a try and being yourself! The class will be from 7-9 pm on four Wednesdays, starting June 22nd.  To register and find out more information please visit the Lexington Art Academy website: http://www.lexingtonartacademy.com/.  Hope to see you in class!