Paint Mixing Magic

The other day I came across a video on how to mix paint. In my case, acrylic paint. I don't suppose there is any aspect of painting more fundamental or more important.

In this particular video, you can find it in my video library under color mixing, the instructor shows how every conceivable color can be derived from the three primary colors yellow, red and blue. From just those three colors wheels within wheels, a kaleidoscope of color can be derived. I haven't thought about primary colors since I was in grade school. After watching the video I think primary colors are magical.

My biggest problem is that I mix colors like I do everything else in my creative process. I just make it up in the moment. I've gotten some colors I really liked this way but the problem is I have no idea how I did it so recreating a particular color isn't going to be easy. My muddled mind finds it difficult to focus on particulars whilst I'm creating. When I'm done I can't remember what I did because I didn't pay any attention.

This happens to me a lot with my photography. People will ask how I got a certain result and I will tell them I don't know. I often feel they think I'm being selfish. That's not my intention. I really don't know. I just do what I do. I quite literally don't "know" anything worth passing along. Just like I can't be taught I can't teach either.

With painting I find I think a lot about what I want to create next. I spend several days with ideas swirling around in my mind before I have the courage to pick up the brush again. I liken my mind to a darter fish. It darts here it darts there and sooner or later settles. I get many of my best ideas when I am engaged in an activity totally unrelated to painting. Once I decide to paint I just do it without thinking much at all. It is what it is.

I watched a video on abstract painting where it was a team effort. The man painted whilst the woman mixed the colors. I think not mixing my own colors would take half the fun out of painting. For me mixing color is part of the adventure. At this point my color mixing is kind of a Forest Gump box of chocolates thing. I never know what I'm going to get. With experience I may learn do do it on purpose. That would be good. Meanwhile, I have created some gorgeous colors quite by accident.

I'm lousy at determining how much paint to mix. More often than not I make too much. In order to save paint I have been putting leftovers in capped cups. I save everything. I'm pretty sure I'm going to come up with many more accidental colors.

Paint Saving Cups

 Here's a quote from Michele Theberge at themindfulartist.com which I think is worth repeating.

"There’s a delicate balance we artists ride between doing and being.

Too much “being” can be a disguised form of avoidance. Too much “doing” and our creative well dries up because it is never replenished."

There’s a delicate balance we artists ride between doing and being.
Too much “being” can be a disguised form of avoidance. Too much “doing” and our creative well dries up because it is never replenished.
- See more at: http://themindfulartist.com/2011/03/meander-time/#sthash.tQ8YV9e8.dpuf

There’s a delicate balance we artists ride between doing and being.
Too much “being” can be a disguised form of avoidance. Too much “doing” and our creative well dries up because it is never replenished.
- See more at: http://themindfulartist.com/2011/03/meander-time/#sthash.tQ8YV9e8.dpuf

There’s a delicate balance we artists ride between doing and being.
Too much “being” can be a disguised form of avoidance. Too much “doing” and our creative well dries up because it is never replenished.
- See more at: http://themindfulartist.com/2011/03/meander-time/#sthash.tQ8YV9e8.dpuf

There’s a delicate balance we artists ride between doing and being.
Too much “being” can be a disguised form of avoidance. Too much “doing” and our creative well dries up because it is never replenished.
- See more at: http://themindfulartist.com/2011/03/meander-time/#sthash.tQ8YV9e8.dpuf

There’s a delicate balance we artists ride between doing and being.
Too much “being” can be a disguised form of avoidance. Too much “doing” and our creative well dries up because it is never replenished.
- See more at: http://themindfulartist.com/2011/03/meander-time/#sthash.IDMAd7Mz.dpuf

There’s a delicate balance we artists ride between doing and being.
Too much “being” can be a disguised form of avoidance. Too much “doing” and our creative well dries up because it is never replenished.
- See more at: http://themindfulartist.com/2011/03/meander-time/#sthash.IDMAd7Mz.dpufI watched another video on abstract painting where a man painted and a woman created the colors. I think not mixing the colors would take a lot of the fun and adventure out of it for me.Here's a quote from Michele Theberge which I think is particularity insightful. "

©Kinsey Barnard

Different Strokes for Different Folks

I've only been at this a nano second in the scheme of things. One thing I'm already fairly certain of, there is a lot to learn about acrylic painting before you get anywhere near the creative process. I suppose if you have done other types of painting the learning curve is much flatter. I have not held a paint brush in my hands since I was in grammar school, unless it was to paint a fence or barn. Grammar school is about 60 years in my rear-view mirror.

Of course, I may just be anal because I see people in these on-line painting classes that just jump in and come up with really nice stuff whilst I'm still laboring over the right brush to use and how to mix the colors. I'm hoping their just new to acrylics not painting.

One thing I have no doubt about is the genre of painting I want to attempt. As I have incessantly pointed with regard to my photography, Monet and Thoreau have always been my mentors in absentia. I adore impressionism and Thoreau's understanding of nature is a beauty all it's own. As in my photography I am not so interested in duplicating things in the commonplace sense. In other words, I'm not so interested in painting traditional landscapes, still life etc. I'm far more intrigued by impressionist and abstract images.

I started out this morning with an idea in mind of an impressionist landscape I wanted to try and replicate. Egads, I messed everything up. I forgot you want to start with the light colors first. I totally messed up my color mixing and ended up with a  red mountain where I wanted an orange colored hill. Then my paints started to dry up and I became totally discombobulated. I couldn't bear to waste the paint so I went into imagination mode. I just started experimenting with how the different brushes and brush strokes work.  Below is my great work of art. I did actually learn a few things.

The Red Blob or Casper the Red Ghost?

I have about 20 of my photographs, printed on 24 x 36 canvas, surrounding my workspace. Today I started really looking at them and was amazed at how nature literally painted these images with brushstrokes. I would like to figure out how to replicate them. Below is a macro look at one of my photographs, River Revelry. This is just a tiny section of the entire image. I think you can see what I mean about the brushstrokes. I want to learn how to paint like nature!

River Revelry- Original Photograph printed on canvas

I still say, there is only one true artist when it comes to nature. The of us are just copy cats and posers.

©Kinsey Barnard