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Dear Art Friends,

This is an introduction to my art blog. I have wanted to do this for a long time because between commissions and large gallery paintings I do little oil sketches of ideas for future paintings or just small things of beauty that strike me at odd moments. Because I paint every day, after a while, these little canvases add up. So I thought I would share them with you. I will be sending them out about every week or two. If you enjoy them, please forward them to friends on your email list. If you do not want to be bothered, no problem just cancel the blog.

So, please consider joining my weekly newsletter (see link below).

Thanks, Nancy Paris Pruden

Fredericksburg Sheep

11/27/2013 8:16:19 AM | By Nancy Paris Pruden | Comment on this

Limit Your Values

Continuing with lessons of tricks to make your painting more interesting is the idea of limiting the number of Values you use in a painting. By Values, I mean how light or dark a color is if everything was just black and white. In the painting above I used only 3 values, a "Light' which is the sky and the highlights on the ground, a "Medium", which is the lights of the sheep and the background hills and a "Dark" which is the trees and ground shadows. If you squint you can see this easily. Pushing all colors into these 3 values simplifies the design which is a Good Thing! Often beginning students have all the values similar which leads to a weaker design.

About the painting above; while traveling East of Fredericksburg on the way to Johnson City there is a lovely view of the cool hills beyond the trees and pastures. Sheep were grazing and the dirt in the pasture has a reddish color. Perfect! Warm and Cool... Light and Dark, Complementary colors! This is the second painting done from that location last September.

San Miguel Skyline

11/13/2013 8:38:32 AM | By Nancy Paris Pruden | Comment on this

Simplify Shapes

From the comments I am getting, at least some of you are not totally bored with my little Art Lessons so I guess I'll continue. Another tool in the Artist's box of tricks is to Simplify Shapes. In other words, SQUINT and everything you don't see when you squint, don't paint. Some people put a finger up close to their face which also blurs everything beyond, take your finger away but don't refocus or if you are lucky enough to be nearsighted, take your glasses off. This oil sketch was done looking from the top terrace of the lovely house we rented last August in San Miguel. The cypress tree was on a neighbors' terrace and the steeples beyond were of Bellas Artes. I tried to paint the painting counting my strokes so I would use as few strokes as possible. Another way to simplify the shape and show only what is essential. This can often lead to a simple but elegantly solution!

Red Barn in the Valley

11/6/2013 4:07:09 PM | By Nancy Paris Pruden | Comment on this

Working with Complements

The use of Complementary colors is one of the most important strategies for painters. Complements are described as opposites because they fall opposite each other on the color wheel. Red and Green, Blue and Orange and Yellow and Purple are all complements and when used in combination in a painting they can heighten the visual intensity of each color. However, when blended together, complements will reduce the intensity of a color and neutralize each other. These neutral grays affect how colors advance or recede as well as make pure colors appear brighter. In the little painting above, the red barn is quite small but really POPS because it is surrounded by a grayed down green mixed with cool red, and the mountain color is mixed from orange and blue as is the sky. The only pure color is the yellow on the ground which therefore comes forward and further complements the purple of the mountains.

I hope I don't bore you to tears with these color lessons but personally find it fascinating to see this at work in a successful painting.