Arizona Colors!

One thing the Impressionists did for us was to show us that colors look different in other locations!  The colors looked different in France than other countries.  Here in the USA, the colors out West look different than the colors here in the Midwest.  Last week I spent time in Lake Havasu City Arizona painting a 60 foot long mural.  I flew to Las Vegas and drove 2 1/2 hours to Lake Havasu City.  The drive was a different kind of beautiful through the desert.  I marvel at the purple mountains and tried to photo them as I drove!  I wouldn't recommend that for the safety of driving and for the quality of the photos.  I really wanted to be able to capture the colors I saw with my naked eye.  As you can see, the photos do not do them justice.

I was studying the local colors of the desert in preparation for painting a mural.  It's amazing the colors you see when you really look!  Not only are the distant mountains purple but the greens are different too, more of a blue green than a lush grass green.

I began the mural with the lavender mountains on the horizon.  Cooler colors stay in the background while warmer colors seem to move closer.  Since I had a long narrow framework for the mural, I had little vertical distant to create depth.  Size and colors helped to achieve that effect.

 Study your surroundings and really look at the color.  Remember, color looks different at different times of the day.  What color are the trees on the horizon?  Compare that with the colors of the trees that are close to you.  Have you traveled and noticed colors were different than at home?

The Amazing Color of Light!

Did you ever wonder about the color of light?  Yes, light has a color!  It's amazing to see it and you begin to wonder if your eyes are seeing right.  One morning I was getting ready for the day when I saw the color of light shining under the bathroom door.  The patio door in the adjacent room was shining indirect light into the room and seeping in under my door.  Do you see this magnificent color?  I'm always telling my students about the colors I see, particularly purple hues.  Here's proof!

 On another day, I saw the most vibrant lavender hue in a late afternoon shadow on the step.  Colors are everywhere.  Shadows definitely aren't black, but contain color.  Look for it!

Here's another glowing example.  Let your eyes relax or squint at the table top.  What color do you see? Our world is full of color!  Look closely at your world and let me know what colors you're seeing.  Were you surprised at what you saw?

Join me for a 3 Day Color Intensive Workshop or an 8 Week Color Theory Class!   Color Theory Made Easy!