Purple Reigns!

A purple iris to celebrate the Ravens' Super Bowl win--what an event!

Watercolor on 140lb cold-pressed paper

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30 in 30 - #11: Orange Pear Pair

I am enjoying orange!  Must be the warmer weather and sunshine this weekend. I hope you had some sunshine this weekend from the weather or a friendly smile :-)

8 x 10 acrylics on stretched canvas

30 in 30 - #7: Double the Fun!

I am having too much fun with the watercolor water droplets!  Here is a double feature...two colors, two droplets.  I worked a little too fast and had a few flows outside the lines (so to speak), but such is the nature of WATERcolor.  :-)

Try it yourself by following this demo by Barbara Fox!

Watercolor on 140lb cold pressed paper

30 in 30 - #5: Orange Hot Cocoa

Day 5 and refreshing my color theory this week is blowing my mind!  

I was reminded by my current teacher and art mentor, Jill Saur, to mix complementary colors for shadows.  OH MY GOODNESS is this changing my painting approach!  Instead of reaching for a variety of colors to complete this painting, I used only red, yellow, and blue, with a little white*.  I wanted a vibrant background so I chose orange...red + yellow. What complements orange?  Purple...red + blue.  How did I make the brown for the hot fudge swirled in the whipped cream?  Orange + blue.  And since all of the colors are used throughout, they are harmonious.  

And yes, the actual hot cocoa was supremely tasty!  :-)

8 x 10 acrylics on stretched canvas

Buy this painting on Daily Paintworks

*Specific paints used: Cadmium Red Medium, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Ultramarine Blue, and Titanium White.  Liquitex or Golden brands, Heavy Body Professional Acrylics.