Revisited Canvas, Colour and Colour Theory

I am beginning another attempt at the golden aspen I started a year ago and abandoned!

I’ve also set aside the original sketch and pulled some photographs taken on an autumn day in the northern woods last year. We will see!

I fear my second attempt is not starting quite right either. I know I should be sketching in burnt sienna, identifying lights and darks before progressing but I found I was not getting the coverage I needed since I am overpainting last year’s canvas….so I am hoping this tack will work.

How I envy the ‘painter a day’ artists who would be able to take this subject and in no time at all; and seemingly without too much effort, have a completed work of art. It will probably take me several days to work this one up; to sort out the colours, the lights and darks, the point of interest!  Here we go again!!!! Painting without knowing really where I am going!

I have the vision and know what I want to say as a rule, but as soon as I get into colour I bog down. Knew I should have taken that ‘colour theory’ course when in school. But no, what was there to know about colour.

Oh so much I am lost trying to sort it all out! There are harmonious colour schemes…and they break down into monochromatic, analogous and complementary. I think I can handle monochromatic….maybe that is what I should be doing….black and white paintings!

Then there are split complementary, triad, tetrad and key colour. Okay, I can handle key colour……one colour throughout. So key colour and monochromatic – maybe they are for me!

There are primary..okay; secondary, okay – then tertiary, warm and cool. There’s hue, value, tint, tone….and on the list goes. I’m lost. Truly lost.  I’m afraid I’ll just have to go with my gut on this one for better or worse! Will keep you posted, it may be another discard.