Learning the Language of Color

Have you ever been to another country where you are not fluent in the language being spoken? You catch a word or two, but for the most part feel in the dark...

This has been my experience with color. I love to create. I draw, sculpt, and try to paint, but whenever it comes to color, it was like I just couldn't speak the language. 

I would create sculptures and vessels and love the form, but then came glaze time and it felt like the results were less than hoped for. 

I decided to enroll in the Milan Art Institute Mastery Program. For the most part, this will be my journey through the program which will be one year. 

I learned more in the first week in the program than in the last 4 years of being a professional creator. 

A little about the program: It is divided up into 3 sections.

1. Oil Painting and Drawing
2. Mixed Media and Voice
3. Portfolio
4. Marketing and Selling

I've been fearful of color and oils for quite sometime.  I thought this would take years to learn. I am blown away by the first week. We dove right into working like the old masters did. This is called subtractive painting. The canvas is covered with a dark "ground" Burnt Umber and black. Then using several tools including cotton swabs you take away the paint to reveal the highlights. 

The next layer is called a glaze layer. Transparent colors are added to make up the base for the opaque colors.

Finally after letting this layer dry, it's time to really bring this bird to life with opaque colors. 

This bird taught me SO much. I'm no longer afraid of color or oil paint. I learned how to make color emerge or recede based on color temperature, but most of all I learned that the part of the painting and of life that no one ever sees provides the base for all the light to be revealed. 

I hope you'll join me on my journey through this Mastery Program. Let me know if you have any questions.