The Landscape Painter's Workbook

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THE COMPLETE COLOR STRATEGY

When we observe the myriad colors of the natural world, we never think, Those colors just don’t look harmonious! Natural light and color never fails to be convincing. But how do painters, in the synthetic world of their two-dimensional paintings, maintain that same sense of harmony and color cohesion? How can they convey a mood, an atmospheric effect, or a particular color of light?

We begin by drawing from nature’s palette. We borrow her hues and value relationships, her temperatures and chromaticity. Yet, that is only a starting point. Inevitably, we discover that to achieve the effects we are after, we also have to modify colors in an informed way. We need to apply some kind of overarching plan to our ...