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I remember hearing

"Value does all the work and color takes all the credit"

when in art school many years ago.

Then I heard if you have the right values,

any color will work if it is also the right value.  

As I developed my online color course I found that to be very misleading.

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One of the biggest misconceptions about painting with colors:

is that you can mix colors in a painting arbitrarily if the value is right.

This couldn't be farther from the truth because there are relationships between every pair or group

of colors and they all don't get along well, just like people!

Some colors are opposites on the color wheel (red/green or yellow/violet)

and just like people they have opposing views, they clash. 

An artist can create a bridge between two opposites just like a dinner host who has

guests at their table must find topics that their guests have in common.

In the painting Moon Memory, above,

the color green has been used sparingly to be the bridge color between yellow and blue.  

Yellow and blue are not that far from each other, they are each primary colors 

so they have that in common already. Yet, one is warm and one is cool. 

The predominately blue painting (a cool color) is offset by Yellow (a warm color)

and the small touch of green gives them more common ground, it is the color on the color wheel

that both touch. The parent colors, yellow and blue, when mixed create the color green.

They are now a family.

I've introduced a touch of red into the blue (the opposite of green) just

to keep the conversation at the table interesting. The green by the red helps the eye move around the

yellows. It is different so it will attract attention however, I don't want it to be too 

loud or overbearing. 

A color doesn't coexist peacefully with

any other color in a painting until a relationship

is established.  

There are many ways for this to happen and an artist with color theory training

will have many tools in their tool belt. 

For too many people, painting with color is a hit or miss endeavor.

The first thing worth

noting is since colors don't always get along well together,

it is good to know where they lay on the color wheel. 

This will help you see which colors clash and which colors are in harmony with

one another right from the start. 

If you would love to play with color, watch for my Color Sense Course. 

In March of 2023 you can take this course in person at the Art Center Manatee in Bradenton, FL.

Look under workshops. 

Also, every color has an emotion attached to it. 

Think about your favorite color

and how it makes you feel.

Then remember the last time you put on a shirt or blouse

in a color you weren't fond of and how you couldn't wait to get it off.

The same thing happens when you use certain colors in a painting. 

Some colors pull a viewer in and some colors push them away. 

Why?

No color is ever neutral. 

So while it is true, value does all the work, color gets all the credit,

color can all destroy the work you have done with value if you don't know how

to use it sensitively. 

Stay tuned for more color facts.

IN PERSON CLASSES AND WORKSHOP

If local to Sarasota,

in person classes are now held during the season at the

ART CENTER SARASOTA 

or Art Center Manatee.

Online classes are year round.  Click here

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