Saturday, November 16, 2013

'Zorn Palette' 22x28


Anders Zorn....

....currently has a retrospective exhibit in San Francisco.  If you aren't acquainted with him think of the Scandinavian equivalent, and contemporary, of Sargent or Sorolla.  It is supposed to be a wonderful thing to see...maybe I see a trip in my future.

Anyway, Zorn is renowned for using a very limited palette to produce incredibly beautiful paintings.  He was a master of subtle values and paint mixtures.

I've used that palette in the past and decided to do it again last Thursday in our morning portrait painting group.  I brought a pre-toned canvas that I had stretched and colored the night before and that's the blue you see peeking through.  (Great counter to that orange/red hair....and I didn't even plan it.)

What are the pigments used?  Cadmium Red, Cadmium Yellow, Black and White.  That's it.  Amazing what color can be obtained with what would seem to be so limiting.  Green can be made with black and yellow....
 
By the way, Catherine Gill and I recently released two instructional dvds on watercolor techniques.  You can find them on her website HERE, as well as other really good stuff.  It's Cathe's watercolor skill on parade with me acting as videographer and editor.  So far we have done 14 videos, two of which are still in the can awaiting editing.  She also has an open house tomorrow if you can make it.  Info on her website.  (We call ourselves 'Candy Corn Productions' because Cathe is always trying to sneak candy corn into sandwiches.  I would say 'Yuck!' but it's not polite.)


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