Color Harmony in the Landscape

The landscape painter strives to use color in ways that capture the beauty of outdoor light and convey a sense of atmosphere. When observed in nature, colors always appear harmonious and “correct,” but for colors to appear the same in a painting, they must be organized around a color strategy — a specific set of colors that bear a particular unifying relationship to one another. Through a series of short paintings referencing photos and masterworks, you will learn how a color strategy serves as a framework to focus your color intention and keep you on track. The workshop will cover limited palettes as a means to guide color direction; “color wheel” strategies like analogous and complementary; the power of limited color groups; and color studies as a means to test various strategies. This workshop supports the notion that although a color strategy may partially borrow from nature, it is largely orchestrated in the mind of the artist. You will be encouraged to be a color explorer rather than a color copyist.Required: Masks to be worn throughout workshop (proof of vaccination not required).

Level: Intermediate. Appropriate for landscape painters in oil, acrylic, or pastel. Not suitable for beginning painters.