Studio Day for the Garden

We need the rain.  It is even pretty dark for meaningful work in the studio today.  So I painted a bit from memory and imagination.  

I picked this painting up from a black and white show.  The colour version sold in January.  I painted this version from the colour painting for an annual black and white show.  Monochromatic painting is always a good training.  For a change up I used transparent chromatic black.  It can be mixed with Emerald Green and Quin Red.  They are complements if mixed in the right proportions.  For this exercise I used a tube of chromatic black with Titanium White.  To my amazement the tint went on "warm" over the white, and "cold" over the black.  It makes some sense when you consider the components.

The composition was changed for this version making the sky more prominent.  The original was done on location in the late afternoon sun in January.

Shelter in Chromatic Black, 12x12, Oil on canvas

In keeping with the simplification principle I used one #12 flat hogs bristle brush for the painting which was done direct, wet in wet.  This particular brush ( a cheap wispy one) finally has been broken in so that it produces a fairly predictable mark.  That took 7 months.  Hopefully it will be useful for another month before becoming a "specialist".