Back in the Saddle

"Rush" 16 x 20"

"One More Dance"  24 x 36"

I finished these two pieces yesterday. The river one was started as a demo in my last workshop. I thought the arbutus one was finished but there was something about it that bothered me. After seeing the Masters paintings in galleries in NewYork, I realized that there was too much color. The paintings that I admired in the Met and the Frick museums were mostly quite de-saturated colors with beautiful values.

I ended up repainting the sky in a lighter and much more neutral shade of blue. I also toned down the yellows in the foreground. To my eye, the painting is much stronger now.

I'm really interested in learning more about color. A lot of artists nowadays rely on bright color to make their paintings interesting. I have done this to a certain extent, although I don't feel color is my forte. I'm not saying bright color is wrong but I don't think it's where I want to go. I am so drawn to beautiful neutrals and powerful values.

One of our current day artists that I really admire is Renato Muccillo. His colors are so compelling and they give his work an old world, timeless quality. Check out his website if you've never seen his work.