Blog

After spending 3 days with no electricity in Freezing weather I will never again take my warm house for granted! Staying in bed with the covers piled on top was the only option. However; it was also kind of cozy to just give up and read a book which is exactly what I did! My power came on Thursday night and by then I had been in the same nightgown for 4 days...UGH. However; I was one of the lucky ones as my water pipes didn't break! So, enough about that, let's continue talking about Warm and Cool in painting. Yesterday I did this little painting to demonstrate how yellow can be cool.

Although the background is blue, it is a warm blue but the coolest warm in the painting is still the tangerine peel which is a cool yellow with white. By cool yellow I mean it doesn't have any red in it and when you add white it cools the color down even further. So if you want to cool a color down add white (think snow) but it will also make it lighter and lower the colors intensity or Chromium. If you want to lighten a color but not cool it down add Naples Yellow. If it is a warm color and you want to lighten it but keep the chromium high add cool yellow...Got that? Good, because I ate the set-up.

Having spent yesterday in bed with a book to keep warm, I thought it might be a good idea the talk about Cool and Warm. I am one of the lucky souls that do have electricity in Houston but understand a third of Texas is without power so we all need to conserve. Naturally, I had to pull up an old Plein air painting I did some years ago to illustrate cool and warm in painting as I will not be painting in bed. So, what is cool and what is warm? There is quite a bit of discussion about this but basically, I have been taught that any color that has red in it would be considered warm. In the painting above, the purple would be considered warm even though it is clear it is cooler than the yellow of the snow. That would also apply to the blue shadows as this particular Blue (Ultramarine Blue) is considered a warm blue because it also has traces of red. So, where does that leave yellow and green? In this painting as in everything what is warm and what is cool is relative to what is around it. The red streak in the shadows is cooler than the sun-drenched yellow snow and the green shrubs. So although all the shadows have some red in them, the light yellow snow is still considered warmer. However, after I am warm enough to get out of bed I will paint you a painting where yellow is cool. Until then, Stay safe and warm!

Sometimes we have to change our style to please the client. I am not saying that it can not be great fun, but pleasing the client is always a challenge. My "client" this time was my Granddaughter, Leah who wanted a large portrait of the family cat, Milky. I had painted another one last year but she was very specific that she didn't want a realistic portrait of Milky, but a brightly colored Rainbow Cat. So being a dutiful Grandmother I complied. Merry Christmas, Leah, and Milky. Now your room is "Cat Heaven!" They both seem pleased.

Imagination is an essential part of creating a work of art. The painting below is a plein air I did in Hunt. Texas last summer; however, I wanted to make a larger painting incorporating the distant hills while adding to it. The cattle tank is a common scene in the ranches of Texas, but I further imagined the sun casting long shadows over the scrub grasses surrounding the water as the sun peeked over the hills. This, to me, feels like Hope. I am always flooded with the sense of possibilities in the morning. Mornings are for optimists, and I am a hopeless optimist! This brings me to the poem by Amanda Gorman, performed during the inauguration in January. "The Hill We Climb"

I don't have room enough to recite the whole poem but it ends

"When day comes, we step out of the shade aflame and unafraid. The new dawn blooms as we free it. For there is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it. ..."

Tamales are for me the ultimate, Comfort Food. They are given by a Friend, warm, and a little spicy, and served when it is cold outside. The painting above is also a Thank You Painting for my sweet friend who gives me tamales every year. This January we are all in particular need of comfort. We have suffered through a pandemic, economical hardship, loss of loved ones, and disillusion in our fellow Americans. However; Tamales are also symbolic of the diversity that makes America special! My French-German grandparents never served tamales but we are enriched by different cultures and nationalities they never dreamed of. A "Melting Pot" means we all give and take from those who are different from us. Why is that a threat? Having a difference of opinion is what makes a conversation interesting and brings spice into our lives. Have a tamale, maybe some chicken soup, and we will all feel better tomorrow! Comfort is what friends are for.