Improve Your Color Choices, With One Easy Step

If your like most of us, any product that helps to improve your art is worth investigating.

We've all had those days when we're outside painting and the atmosphere and fast moving sunlight is tricky to determine what color and value a particular object is. The makers of the View Catcher have included a hole in there product to isolate a color from the background and make it easier to decide on a color choice. The beauty of this simple hole is the neutral gray plastic background material and the size of the view hole itself. I recommend not only isolating the color spot your trying to replicate but once you have mixed the paint; then view it through 1/2 of the hole at the same time comparing it to the actual color. This will train your eye to quickly mix the proper color and value of any subject you encounter.

Use the view hole to isolate a color from the busy background.

If You Paint Outside, The Ideas Will Come

Wednesday night, May 1st was The Overlook Gallery's first officially un-official  plein air paint-out for 2013. We  went to Big Bend Campground on Hwy 128, along the Colorado River for some evening painting. It had been windy all day and the weather was threatening to ruin the evening. We got to the picnic area in the campground and was delighted to find the wind was fairly light and the color on the river and canyon walls was stunning.

Getting in the car and heading out to a location is half the battle of painting outdoors. We can usually find 20 excuses to stay indoors rather than just loading the car and making an effort to get in the field. Even if the weather is rotten on site, at least you saw some country with fresh eyes and can take a few photos or thumbnail sketches home.
As we were driving out I noticed tents on the side of the road were getting thrashed by the winds, but I kept going because you don't know what will happen when you get there. As it turned out we had a great evening on the river, followed by a spectacular sunset. The next paint-out is Wednesday May 8, at the Monitor and Merrimac overlook on Hwy 313 (Canyonlands N.P. entrance north of Moab). Meet at The Overlook Gallery at 5pm. For more info: (435) 259-3861 or info@theoverlookgallery.com


Tim Morse at Big Bend, Colorado River



Tim Morse plein air Big Bend