It’s May and suddenly everything has come out green. Looking around the landscape there are blue greens, yellow greens, olives and silvery greens, some jump out and some sit quietly. And whether they do the former or the latter depends not only on the quality of green but on the tones and colours surrounding them, and on the quality of the light. One moment the landscape sizzles and the next it goes dull. It takes a practised eye to keep pace with what's happening. I often hear students, confronted by the symphony of greens that is the May landscape, say, ‘But I don’t have the right greens in my paint box!’ Time to explore your colour palette. It isn’t as straight forward as mixing blue and yellow, because all blues are different and where one will produce a muted green the next will make a green so vivid you almost need sunglasses to look at it. If you’re a beginner, you aren’t sure what blue to put with which yellow. Also, you may have a few ready-made greens of various hues, but can’t see how they fit into the spectrum. Generally speaking, a violet blue coupled with an orangey yellow will give you a muted green. A greenish blue coupled with a lemony yellow will give a vivid green. But you don’t need a paint box full of blues and yellows to mix a variety of greens. In this demonstration I’ve used Winsor Lemon (top) and Prussian Blue (bottom). Both colours ‘look’ towards green, and as you see by the mixes on the left hand column, together they make vivid and pure greens from sizzling lime to aqua. In the right hand column I’ve added a touch of red - this subdues the greens down, making subtle hues. If you have olive or sap green in your palette you may now see where these fit in. So using Prussian, Lemon and a touch of red, we’ve got a range of greens from almost yellow to almost blue, from light to dark and from bright to subdued. You can see how they are derived and related. Of course, it isn’t simply a case of ‘mixing the right green’ - you then need to practise using them. Putting a deep subdued blue-green next to the vivid lime will make the latter really jump out. Putting a couple of subdued greens together will make a quieter combination. It’s all about contrast and juxtaposition In the world of greens, this is just the tip of the iceberg - or rather, the ‘green-berg’ - and I can already hear the barrage of questions -
‘Help! I don’t have Prussian - what can I do with Cerulean or Cobalt or Ultramarine?’ ‘And I don’t have that yellow - will New Gamboge work? ‘What’s this Pthalo Blue? I can’t even say it!’ ‘And what can I do with Hooker’s Green? It’s Wild!’ Yes, Hooker’s is a wild green, so wild you’d think it shouldn’t be let out on its own - but fear not, there are ways and means of taming it. In fact you probably have any number of blues and yellows in your paint box, with many varieties of green waiting to be unleashed, but there are only so many that can be dealt with in one blog, before the brain starts to melt into a green haze… If you are an Art Club and would like a full or half day tutorial on The Challenge of Greens, please use the Contact page to enquire. Now are there any more questions before I sign off? ‘Umm, Judith - Hullo? Are you still there? - I think I've just broken the Colour Wheel - I mean totally broken it - I just put this Prussian of yours with Burnt Umber and I got green - but Burnt Umber's brown, right? So how can that be...?’ Ah yes. Prussian again. That will happen. I promise you, you cannot break the Colour Wheel - any more than you can break the Internet. Relax...
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Some time ago I visited the Rudham Art Group in North Norfolk and was subsequently sent a sequence of photos of 'The Artist in Action'. I've selected a number of them for this month's blog. It couldn't have been easy to get these candid shots, as the Artist in question is always on the move and has a habit of stepping back, turning and gesticulating just as the photographer presses the button! While the Artist in the photos is busy with the action, I'll tell you how these painting demos began, and how they ended up being augmented, and on occasion taken over, by the telling of stories drawn from my working life. I did my first painting demonstration about 25 years ago. Back then it was a straightforward watercolour demo, generally in three stages, with informative talk and question and answer session. Showing the use of a sketchbook to observe and record. Then came the time when I was doing a demonstration in a village hall one cold February night. Having laid the initial wash, using, as I've always advised students, 'plenty of water with it', I found it wasn't drying. I recapped on the techniques, colours and materials, and still the thing was wet through. In desperation I said, 'A funny thing happened the first time I went out to the coast with my paints...' and out tumbled a story from my teenage years about how, having set up my easel at Thornham, I was approached by a young man who tried to chat me up and entice me into his boat. He failed. Having realised that my focus on the painting was winning out over both his advances and his boat (which looked somewhat unseaworthy even to my landlubber's eye) he gave up - but not before giving me his parting shot. 'I should give that painting lark up if I were you - you'll never be any good at it!' Story told, the wash was dry, and I was able to complete the painting. Close up of sketchbook pages showing studies in watercolour and charcoal A fortnight passed and the phone rang. 'Could you give our group a demo next week?' Certainly I could. We agreed the date, time, venue, and just as I was putting down the receiver, the caller added, 'And you will tell some more of your stories, won't you?' 'Of course', I said, and rang off. My next thought was, 'Hang on - what stories? I only have one!' Keying in the underlying structure and blocking in tonal masses. In the foreground can be seen a display of my greetings cards and prints. With only a week to go, I racked my brains and realised that I had a number of painting anecdotes with which to pepper my demonstration, and which could be pressed into service in the event of an uncooperative watercolour refusing to dry. I know what you're thinking - why doesn't she just use a hair dryer? Well I had tried that in the past, only to find that the space reserved for the speaker was an unhelpful 25 feet away from the nearest socket... Working with colour to build atmosphere and mood. Since that first anecdote, the stories have proliferated, to encompass all manner of bizarre situations that I've encountered during my life as an artist. Among the many and various are 'The Amorous Tramp', 'The Runaway Brass Band', 'The Carniverous Cow' , 'A Brief Encounter with Forked Lightning', and last, but not the least nerve-racking, 'A Helicopter Chase over Syderstone Common' - I kid you not - just think 'North by Northwest with a Paintbrush', and you won't be far out. Since that particular episode, friends have been apt to remark how they saw a helicopter hovering over the coast recently and wondered whether I might have been out that way, baiting it with squirts of ultramarine... Putting in the finishing touches after a mount has been added. Finally, the day came when I was asked to present a full evening of painting-related stories. The caller was quite emphatic. 'No, we don't want a painting demonstration, we just want the stories'. I wasn't sure how to take that. 'Not even one quick off the cuff sketch?' I asked, 'It won't be any trouble.' 'No. Just the stories. And could you do 2 hours for us?' Two hours. Yikes. Recapping on aspects of technique and interpretation. This is the point in the demo where I also field questions. I ended up doing two 45 minutes with a twenty minute interval, during which I was pinned down by members of the audience who picked my brain about painting until I was almost on my knees, hoarse as a toad and still had the second half to go. Delivering a final anecdote and a piece of advice - "Don't take up pastels if you're averse to grubby fingers!" Nowadays, I normally take refuge in the ladies lavatories, until it's time for me to be announced. That way I can take a few minutes to focus my thoughts, before we get underway. This approach has generally served me well, only letting me down once, when I was unable to unlock the lavatory door. I was meant to be addressing a WI meeting. From the confines of the cubicle where I was trapped, I heard the distant strains of 'Jerusalem' peter out, followed by, 'Has anyone seen our speaker...?' Since then I have made a point of informing my hosts exactly where I'm going, so that if need be someone can spring into action with a screwdriver! The finished demo, Holkham Gap, North Norfolk. The paper is Fabriano Ingres 160gsm, which has a laid (ridged) surface, and is one of my favourite papers for pastel. And while I've been telling you all this, you see that the Artist in Action has managed to complete her demonstration piece.
If you are a member of a Norfolk based Art Club or general interest group, and would like to book a demonstration and talk please use the contact page to enquire. With thanks to Maggie Pattison of the Rudham Art Group for taking the demonstration photos |
Judith Key
Judith Key is a Norfolk based artist, working in watercolour and pastel. She has exhibited with the Society of Graphic Fine Artists and New English Art Club at the Mall Galleries, London. Her paintings are in collections worldwide. Categories
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