Painting Workshop in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Painting Workshop - Student Work October 2014.

Photo of original scene

Painting Fall Colors

Last month, I gave a Fall workshop in Wisconsin, where trees broke all the rules. I drove from the airport overcome by vivid autumn colors. They were ablaze. I was overwhelmed. Too much yellow! Too much orange!

I love trees in chaos. But chaos is hard to translate onto the canvas. Too much intensity means that nothing stands out. If nothing stands out, a painting can be, well, undramatic.

Focus on a Single Object

The next day, I gathered my students and found a spot at the edge of a rural road for us to set up, right in front of this lone yellow tree. This was a subject that was approachable. Against a dark background, that little tree pops. If the trees in the background had been the same brightness, this tree would not have been the star.

By framing this little beauty in darker color, it became the drama queen.


-- Mary Hubley
www.maryhubley.com