If All Else Fails, Forge Ahead!

My blog is not connecting to other sources such as blogcatalog. It's not updating and I'm not getting visitors. I switched to a laptop and this may be contributing to the problems. Unless...There are three other conclusions I may draw from my last blog:

1. Either the similar name "Work in Progress" kept people away, thinking it was the same blog; (Actually there are two blogs. The first blog by that name, and the second, called: "Work in Progress II.)
2. or, people didn't like the progress and didn't comment;
3. or, There are graduations, vacations, etc. and people missed it!

At any rate, I had no visitors from blogcatalog to "Work in Progress II" and none from the usual people who visit. Feedback is so important! When you don't get feedback, you assume the worse. Feedback also tells me when I'm on track or off course.

So the subject of this blog is: Feedback! (Did you guess?)  Feedback is lifeblood to the artist. We sometimes call it critique (although it can be brutal!). Simply put, feedback provides guidelines, suggestions, and commentary when needed. Without feedback, an artist can get lost in a forest of zealous brushstrokes, vivid colors, and impulses that may be labeled "inspiration" when they're not. Feedback holds an artist's feet to the fire and keeps him or grounded.

Hot air balloons are wonderful! They sail upward in a flurry of color and they give you a sense of power and freedom. But if you don't observe the rules, the experience can become an overheated blast of hot air that comes dangerously close to disaster.

I've had a semi-love affair with hot air balloons. It began years ago in Kansas City when I saw my first festival. Now every chance I get, I see a show if there's one in our area. Balloonists are fun people. I even watched a couple get married in a field where hundreds of balloons awaited their scheduled flight. Everyone who attended, and all who participated in that event joined the wedding party. After the couple said "I do," they climbed into their balloon and lifted off with hundreds of others. What a sight!

So if I get too far afield on my hot air balloon (my art journey), don't hesitate to give me feedback. I'm just sayin'!

A Word about Color

Many artists use pure color straight from the tube: reds, yellows, blues, greens, etc.. I'm not knocking it. There are appropriate uses for pure color, and they do serve a purpose, depending on composition and style. But sometimes a blended color can do the job better.

Blended colors add a certain vibrancy by complimenting or enhancing similar colors and values in the painting. Monochromatic paintings that use one main color such as raw umber, burnt sienna, or venetian red are enlivened when blends of that color are mixed and used.

The color gray is a good example. Gray can be a depressing color, but it's also one of the most valuable colors on the palette; especially for dealing with subtlety, or changing values, as in a landscape. Paynes gray is a favorite for many artists. But you can add vitality and subtle changes by mixing your own gray combinations. Here are some of mine:

• Blue and orange make a "greenish gray;" add a mixing white to change shade or value.

• Alizarin Crimson and black make a "lavender gray;" add a mixing white to change shade or value.

• Using Pthalo, or cobalt, or cerulean, or ultramarine blue and black with mixing white can make a lovely blue-gray shade.

Green is another example of how to get variation in your artwork. Sure you can buy many hues and shades of green, but what's the fun in that?. Here are some of my favorite combinations:

• Cobalt blue and yellow make a brilliant spring-time green that can be toned down with mixing white.

• Turquoise and a snitch of yellow make a wonderful lime green that can be changed in value with mixing white or by adding a smidgen of Hookers green.

• Sap green and yellow ochre make a golden green for fields and older grass and weeds. Again, mixing white changes the value.

So there you have it -- some of my favorite blends (the list could go on and on). The point is this: mix colors, try different combinations, be brave. Your paintings will literally "pop" off the page. Have fun--experiment!