The Painting of "Red Rocks 6"

The Painting of “Red Rocks 6”

I’ve shared in previous posts my love of the Desert Southwest and the scenery it holds. I couldn’t live there for many reasons, chief among them the heat. However, I do love to visit and experience this beautiful part of the US. Like many other artists I am inspired by the colors and feeling of this beautiful area.

For this painting I am painting on a half-sheet (11x30) of Fabriano Artistico 300lb cold press watercolor paper covered with a thick coating of gesso. I enjoy this linear format for abstract landscapes, particularly those of the desert. There is no attempt here to copy a certain view or a certain place, but rather to convey my impressions of “a place” in my own way.

I am using an analogous color combination of red, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange and yellow. The colors I am using are the following (Golden Heavy Body Acrylics):

  • Titan Buff

  • Diarylide Yellow

  • Yellow Ochre

  • Naples Yellow Hue

  • Pyrrole Orange

  • Cadmium Red Medium Hue

  • Medium Magenta

  • Quinacridone Magenta

  • Burnt Sienna

  • Dioxazine Purple

  • Titanium White

I also used several colors of Marabu Art Crayons - sorry I don’t remember the colors :)

I begin by measuring (with a brush handle) and striking a horizon line so that I have a fairly straight line to use for the composition. I find if I don’t do this my landscapes tend to “tilt” one direction or another. This painting is an exercise in shape making, so I begin by putting in reddish shapes randomly choosing a variety of reds and oranges from the palette. I then lay in a bit of light value yellow for my center of interest area.

Once that work is complete, the remainder of the painting is simply filling out the sheet with middle value. Most of the middle value is a mixture of various yellows, Titan Buff and Titanium White. I scrape into the paint to add some linear marks and finally add the art crayon once the surface is dry enough to accept it.

All in all a very fun exercise and one which yielded, at east for me, a pleasing result that expresses my love of the red rocks of the Desert Southwest.

If you'd like to learn about abstract painting and making your own authentic work, then please join me for a painting workshop: (You can view a list of workshops HERE)

As always, thanks for your support!

David


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