Harmony with light

Sand Beach

Original oil painting  18x24"

by Susan Roux

Light.

The same light drapes itself on an entire scene. It was the lesson I taught my class through this painting. Light comes from one source, the sun and whatever time of day or weather condition you're trying to capture that single source illuminates it all. We all know golden hour, when for a brief time our surroundings become transformed and everything looks gilded. Golden light is draped everywhere.

The same is true for every type of light, every weather condition. It's just not as dramatic and probably harder to see.

Let's put this in terms for the artist. How do we apply this fact to our work?

Whatever color you choose to paint the light in one spot must be used to paint the light throughout. So if you decided to use a mixture of cadmium yellow, white and a dab of yellow ocher to highlight your brightest spots, then a bit of that same mixture should be added to all sunlit colors. Don't get this confused with your values (how light or dark an area is). I'm not saying you need to bring your colors to this same intensity, just add some of this same light to everything in sunlight. Here's one way to approach it. You may want to mix a little pile of cadmium yellow with your dab of yellow ocher without the white. That way you can easily add it to your other mixtures and then add as much lightener as you please to achieve the value you want.

It's the color of light you create that must drape itself on everything.

Your light could be a number of combinations. On a sunny day, it's usually the yellow combination you add to your white. Whatever you choose, be it lemon yellow, naples yellow, indian yellow, cad, ocher etc. Often this light you create might also include a bit of pink if you desire to warm it.  Be creative with your light! Don't paint every painting with the same combination. Weather conditions create different shades of light all the time. So if you're trying to capture what's actually around you, you'll need to adjust the combination of pigments in your highlights.

Just remember to add those same colors everywhere in your painting!

It's as easy as that to capture harmony with light.

So if you've shied away from experimenting with colors of light because you lose harmony, there's no need to fear it anymore. Have fun with the light. Play with the light. Just remember to make the same light kiss everything sunlit in your painting!




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All paintings are for sale. Simply contact me if you're interested...

Have a great day my friends and thank you so much for stopping by!

Experience color

Dew Drop In

Original oil Painting  16x20"

by Susan Roux

Color. 

It's one of the most fascinating things about painting. It can lead the eye through a specific journey on your canvas. It can create an ambiance. It can define distance and space. It can imitate sunshine and shade. It can scream or whisper. It can be playful and exciting or it can be bland.

As artists we get to control the roll it takes in our work. 

It takes a long time to understand color. There's so much to learn because it's a very complex subject. A color used incorrectly can stand out like a sore thumb. One single stroke out of place and suddenly it changes everything. The value (light or dark) of a color must be correct along with how concentrated or neutralized (grayed) it is. 

Learning to embrace the grays will add richness to your colors and your work. There's emotion in those mud puddles on grayed color. The trick is to know how to use it correctly and be in control of it. 

Understanding the properties of color enables you to take control. At times you've probably heard or read about certain concepts but have had difficulty wrapping your brain around them. Trying to paint with a particular focus in mind that you don't totally understand can be frustrating. So much so, that it can throw you into painter's block! That happens when you begin to be aware of a concept but don't totally understand it, yet try to implement it into your work. 

Simplifying things and learning them one step at a time can be your detour around that painter's block. Trying to push too much information into your brain at once only confuses. Having time to try new things, experiment with them, helps the mind grasp the concept. Not only is it something you hear or read, it is also something you try.

This will be the goal in my upcoming workshop, held August 10, 11, 12. 

I've been teaching for over 10 years. I teach to beginners and if I've learned anything over all this time it's how to explain things in the simplest way possible! So if you've been painting awhile and do pretty well but would like to learn more on the subject of color, my workshop is for you. I'm limiting class size to ten students so each one will get individualized attention.  

Come play with color. Come take the fear out of it and place yourself in control. All levels are welcomed. If you're interested or think you might be interested, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'll be happy to help you with your lodging needs as well. 

Maine is beautiful in August. You can begin your holiday with a three day workshop to get you primed and stimulated then continue on to practice your lessons in the lush coastal setting that is Maine.

The above painting Dew Drop In is exhibited at The Wright Gallery, Cape Porpoise, Maine. Please contact Charlie if you're interested in purchasing it. Thank you.

Maine Mutt Mansion, again?

Autumn Farm

Original oil painting  20x16"

by Susan Roux

Things have really been brewing here...

You can't expect to see me sitting idle for too long. My mind never stops. As soon as one thing ends, a new project begins. I'm not just talking about a painting on my easel. It's true of everything in my life. I can't ever seem to keep things running on an even slow tempo. It seems every time there's a lull, I get cranking on something else to stir things up.

In a few weeks several artists will be gathering at an oceanside mansion for a retreat. I organized it last year and it was so popular and fun, we've decided to return again. I can see this could easily become a yearly event.

We're five artists this year, with a possibility of a few daily visitors setting up their easels. We arrive with all our baggage and quickly set up our paint stations. The mansion is huge with lots of great windows bringing in ample light for everyone. We'll be painting from early in the morning, hardly sitting with our cups of coffee, until dark. The creative energy locked in winter walls will grow as the week progresses. Conversations revolve around art. Books are brought it. Our minds are opened to new ideas, new ways of looking at things. Stimulation is high. I remember having trouble sitting for a tea break in the afternoon.

I wasn't the only one with this problem. We worked to nearly exhaustion. The double jacuzzi was perfect to rejuvenate ourselves. I was surprised how locked up my muscles became. I didn't realize how much I clenched my knees as I concentrated to paint. It wasn't until I backed away from my work and found myself almost unable to move. I've dreamt about that jacuzzi many times over the past year...

It really was difficult to take a break. Our minds became so cued in to painting, that sitting for a few minutes away from our work seemed impossible. My tea kept getting cold. No sooner had I left my easel to sit quietly in the next room holding my hot cup, it would beckoned me back. Sandy laughed at me, telling me to go take a break! But in all honesty, she had the same problem.

The mansion is in Maine. This year we're very pleased and excited to have two artists join us from Scottsdale, AZ. You may already know Amy Whitehouse and her daily blog. She, along with an artist friend, will be flying in to experience our wonderful artists retreat. I'm looking forward to meeting them and discussing art together.

Evenings are spent sipping wine in front of the large fireplace. Our favorite evening is Champagne Thursday. It's when we invite lots of people to come visit. I'd like to open the invitation to all of you. It begins at 5:00 p.m. on February 23. We're the last house on Shore Dr. in Freeport Maine. Bring champagne and a nibbler. It was a great social evening last year and hopefully will be even better this year! Come and experience the creative energy that builds within the mansion walls. It's unbelievable.

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I don't often post my paintings from my classes. It isn't a demo actually, because I paint right along with my students, explaining things as we go along. My Thursday afternoon class just finished this fall scene. I love to paint wet into wet, but the restrictions of painting within class time and stopping until the following week, create quite a challenge for me. Class did really well with this, keeping the bright back trees receded and the large maple forward. The red roof needed to also be neutralized so the red branch dipping in front of it would read correctly. Great job students!

I have a new beginners class starting February 2, from 6-8 p.m. at EL High School, Auburn. If your interested or no someone who is, please call Adult Ed at 207-333-6661 to enroll. I'd like to thank all my wonderful students who work very hard at achieving great things.

You will come to Champagne Thursday, right?