Thoughts & Musings from Bruce on Art,Life & All That Stuff

Home

About the Artist

Paintings

Galleries

Events

Blog

Email Newsletter

Contact the Artist

Good Health Naturally


Follow this Blog
Topical Index

Current
Artists
Color
new paintings
Optimisim
Painting Questions
Archives:Aug 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
Apr 2010
Mar 2010
Feb 2010
Jan 2010
Dec 2009
Nov 2009
Oct 2009
Sep 2009
Aug 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
Apr 2009
Mar 2009
Feb 2009
Jan 2009
Dec 2008
Nov 2008
Oct 2008

Color Me Yellow

by Bruce E Ulrich on 2/10/2009 12:22:45 AMComment on this
I had a busy time last week not in the studio until Friday when I started "fooling around " again. I did some sorting, organizing and other avoidance activities. designed to make me feel productive while thinking about what to paint next and what will I talk about on Sunday the 15th. I'm doing a painting demo(1-3) and then artist's talk at Wy'east Bookshop and Gallery in Welches, on Mount Hood. I will work on finishing a painting and may start some small wine bottle scenes. If you are in the area please stop by.
On Saturday I decided to do some Yellow paintings and put out 2 18x18 and every yellow paint I had. I started by covering them both completely in various yellows, when it was slightly dry I put in an off centered cruciform shape in various values of phthalo blue and added accents of blue-green and a purple-red. I let them dry and went off to see the Beaverton Artists Showcase, a good juried show. On Sunday when I got back in the studio the starts suggested a floral painting and this is what I had for one at the end of the day.

Version1 from Sunday.

On Monday I wasn't that pleased with either painting and reworked both they are now each more like this:

Version2
I I brought more light into the "flowers" with white and yellow, it's close to done so I'll look at it on and off over the next few weeks for any finishing touches.
As ever thanks for looking and let me know what you think.
Bruce

My Blog List

Comment on or Share this Article >>

Color Notes

by Bruce E. Ulrich on 12/11/2008 6:33:17 PMComment on this
I have a few more thoughts on my palette and some of the colors of paint used.  I usually have two of each primary. In the Munsell color system that is Red Yellow Green Blue and Purple.  The reason for two of each is to have a warm and cool of each color/hue.  Most of us recognize that colors have a temperature component and we think of reds and yellows as warmer than blues and greens.  Our language references it when we say "something is red hot".  Blue or green hues can be warmer if they have some red or yellow in them and are perceived to be cooler when they are not in the mixes.  In real life all colors/hues are evaluated by the colors next to and around them.  By using this knowledge an artist can create the illusion of depth in a painting or enhance a mood or emotion in a less representational painting.
Currently I use cadmium yellow light and medium, cadmium red light, alizarin crimson or quinacridone red, ultramarine blue and phthalo blue(red shade) viridian or medium green, and dioxazine purple, plus white and black.  I use several earth colors sienna, yellow ocher, transparent yellow iron oxide and transparent red iron oxide.


Night Bottles 2

                               Wine Tasting       
Thanks for reading, please let me know what you think and feel free to email me any questions.
Bruce

My Blog List




                                                                                             






                                                                                             
Comment on or Share this Article >>

Lights ,Color Action

by Bruce E. Ulrich on 12/9/2008 11:56:31 PMComment on this

Lights ,Color Action

It is December in Oregon and in spite of the warm dry sunny days we have had this fall, the days are short the nights are longer and most of my painting is done in the studio. This means artificial lighting is my norm.
I use florescent 4 foot shop fixtures and either daylight balanced bulbs or 1 warm and 1 cool bulb in each fixture. This gives plenty of light to supplement the north window or take over when needed. To my eyes this makes the colors look most like they do in daylight and match the lighting in most homes where the paintings will live.

A view of my easel and some of my added lights.

I was reading from "Portraits" by Michael Kimmelman, art critic for the NY Times, last night.
The book is a series of talks, interviews and conversations with well known artists as they went through various museums and looked at the art. I read the chapter on Wayne Thiebaud, one of my favorite artists and a great colorist. Mr. Kimmelman is a good listener and asks very interesting questions to make captivating word portraits of each artist and how they view art and what drives them in making art. Ending the day on a positive note primes my process for a fresh beginning in the studio.
Thank you for reading, let me know what you think or ask me a question.
Bruce

 
Comment on or Share this Article >>

Color Choices

by Bruce E Ulrich on 12/3/2008 2:15:57 PMComment on this




Sorry for my laxness in posting. Being lazy by nature, new to the routine and add in my favorite meal of the year and I have a host of excuses to choose from. (As a good friend is fond of saying "God grant me my excuses with out which I am nothing")
On to the subject of color and how I attempt to use it when I paint and abstract or most any subject. At the top of this post is picture of kind of color wheel I use based on the Munsell color notation system, many artists better than I use these ideas and write about them. The main difference from the 3 primary color wheel of grade school fame Red , Yellow, and Blue is the addition of 2 more primary colors, Green and Purple. This results in more accurate color compliments ( ie, colors opposite each other on the wheel). This system is used by science and industry to precisely describe a color and reproduce it.
Robert Burridge adapted this system to the paints made by Holbein but you can use any brand of paint to create your own color wheel. Between each of the five evenly spaced primaries are the five secondaries ie yellow-green or blue-green,etc.. This model lets the artist start with 10 colors of paint(hue) plus white and black and in theory mix any color she ever needs.
In practice a painting has more impact if there is a dominate color/hue for each painting, the red painting the green painting. Once you pick the dominate color its opposite or compliment is the strongest color choice for using as the center of interest. and as Burridge calls them your spice colors, are on either side of the compliment with one color between them. This gives you 4 colors to paint with,plus black and white.
By limiting your palette the odds of creating a stronger painting are improved and your mind is freer to concentrate on the one million other choices needed to build a picture.
Here is a sample of how I used some of these concepts in a painting I plan to use for my Christmas card. Enjoy the sneak preview.


Ornaments '08
12x12
Acrylic on canvas panel

I was thinking red and green to represent the Christmas season and red is the dominant hue, green it the compliment The center of interest is the ornaments In Munsell a blue green is the compliment of a red and my center ornament leans toward that hue.

Thanks for your patience as I learn the blogging world and let me know what you think.
Comment on or Share this Article >>
Bruce@BruceUlrich.com or 503.330.0123
Artist Websites by FineArtStudioOnline
Mobile Site | iPhone Site | Regular Site