Color Choices, Exaggerated Color daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Exaggerated Color
5x7, acrylic on board

People love color, and so do most artists. It's fun to take a painting to it's color limits. I don't often make up color, but sometimes do exaggerate the colors in the landscape to full potential.

In today's daily painting the orange elements have been pushed to the point where they are rich and full. A little blue-green in the foliage cools the painting just enough to keep it from being too hot. The blue-green compliment gives it interest, too.

There are many things to know about getting color balanced in a painting, and many ways to do the balancing. Books (will they be a thing of our past, now, with Kindle?) and online articles can help you learn about painting with color. Stephen Quiller's Color Choices, which you can get from Amazon very reasonably priced, is a nice way to start. And here's an online article created by artists for artists with color tips.

The most important thing to know is when it works for you, the artist. When you get it right it will usually please other people, too.

Everglades Painting by artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Today's Everglades painting is one that I've been working on for a while. It's not done yet because I can't get it quite right. I like the color scheme, so it may be the color temperature. The light is cool, and the colors are as cool in the sun as they are in the shade. Warm up the shadows? Tried it. Warm up the light and cool down the shadows? Tried it.

On the other hand, may be it's the composition. There's a problem with the integration of the parts of the landscape. Rather than look like two groups of friendly palms, these look more like a confrontation ready for a gang war.

So, this holiday weekend with family visiting and so many things on my mind I don't have a "daily" for you. But feel free to comment on this 18x24 size that's driving me nuts!