Backyard Color Studies

Nothing quite teaches about light and color the way nature does. Even 20-30 minutes a day out in one's backyard produces a wonderment of sketches. In my favorite color learning days, such as in this Bird of Paradise sample, I would mix the paint, holding up the brush with the flower behind it, until the color matched. Time of day, weather differences and seasonal changes could result in a multitude of subtle variations. When the artist experiences the elements: the sunshine, the humidity, the sounds of nature and neighborhood, the atmosphere often reveals itself in the piece.