Shasta Valley Opus 1

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While exploring some of the country roads that crisscross the landscape in Shasta Valley, I discovered thousands of landscapes waiting to be painted. Hay and alfalfa farmers along with their livestock made this fertile valley their home. The grand landscapes and the ever-present shadow of Mt Shasta in the background dwarf the little farms and rancheros. The landscapes whispered to me “come here and paint me.” It is difficult to paint every subject that you see. There is a moment that you must just stop the car and say, “this is it.” I set up my supplies, and then stood with my brush poised, took a breath, and allowed my thoughts to focus on the result that I wished to capture. Once the image was clear, I started painting.

There are rules that help to create a sense of space or the feeling of air on a two-dimensional canvas. One rule that governs color gradations is that all colors become cooler as they recede from the eye, except white. Color that recedes into the distance has some blue added to it. Likewise, objects in the foreground are warmer with yellow or red added to the hue. Orange is the warmest color of all. Additionally, yellow fades out as the landscape recedes. That means that the green in the foreground will have lots of yellow present, but in the middle ground, you will find the yellow gradually diminishes yielding a grayish blue. In the background, the yellow will fade all together and become a bluish color.

Another rule that helps to create aerial perspective is that all things get lighter in value the further they recede into the distance. By adding white to a color that is receding, it becomes lighter in value and appears to be distant. Be sure to squint and observe the landscape before painting any color, because to create depth, the value must be correct. Notice that the colors and values change and become cooler and lighter as they recede into the distance in the newest painting, Shasta Valley Opus 1.

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I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.

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