Yesterday, I was at a Plein Air Paint Out with the Ann Arbor Women Artists at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The day was pleasantly warm with sun and clouds and the gardens were in full swing. I spied some black eyed susans in an area with a variety of greens. I wanted to paint the black eyed susans in the sea of greens with only 3 colors plus white. I have heard that a more harmonious painting comes about with this method so I decided to give it a go. I used Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Red Medium and Ultramarine blue.
Needless to say, the painting was not up to my expectations. More exploration with the colors and prior strategy needs to be played out. I found it to be a good way to think outside the box as you really need to brainstorm where you want to go with limited options.
I think I will do a color wheel with the colors and also do a complimentary chart to see how the grays play out. This will help me to see the range that I have ahead of time, thus eliminating the floundering effect.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens has beautiful gardens with a wide variety of flowers, a sitting arbor and several trails into the wooded area with marsh ponds. My favorite spot to draw or do a watercolor in the winter on a sunny day is the conservatory (greenhouse). It is huge and is filled with plants starting with tropical and ending with arid cactus. It is warm, lush and inviting on a cold winter day.
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