". . . a brush with nature"

It isn't easy painting green . . . or any of the other colors really.  But green in all its glorious splendor seems especially difficult for me. In fact, my husband accuses me of having an aversion to the color green, but that isn’t it at all. It is just hard for me to get it “right” and natural looking.

I am often reminded of that cute little green fellow, Kermit the Frog, as he lamented, “It’s not easy being green.” He went on to sing about the many beautiful things in nature that happen to be green and therein lies the problem for both Kermit and me.

There are so many lovely shades of green surrounding us in nature. Although I am not a landscape artist per se, the landscape often plays a big part in my wildlife paintings. Looking out my studio window I am always struck by the variety of green that makes up the woodlands. Looking closely anyone will soon discover hues ranging from moss to fern to pine green and everything in between. Wandering further afield one will soon stumble upon lime, pear, mint and basil, not to mention olive or sage. All so different, but still a green occurring in our natural world. And let us not forget about the wonderful green colors appearing on the plumage of birds (parakeet, for example) or even the skin of the ever-mysterious crocodile. The possibilities are endless.

It seems to me that the natural occurring greens are never harsh. Some are bold or bright, to be sure. Some are grayed almost to the point of not being recognized as a green at all. Some appear more yellow or blue than green at first blush, but when studied more closely their true alliance is revealed. There are so many subtleties and nuances to consider before selecting the perfect shades for your painting. You should never use just one (why would you when there is such an abundance around you?) but select a few for your palette that work well together. Harmonizing them will make your painting “sing” and be more pleasing to both you and your viewer.

Although many shades of green are available to use straight from the tube, I always suggest mixing your own. You then have control to “tweak” the color allowing it to work best with the rest of your palette. (Please note, I don’t recommend using any paints straight from the tube. Mixing them always seems more natural to me no matter what the color.) For help with this a color wheel is an inexpensive must-have tool for any artist. Color mixing is great training and great fun!

So, you see, I really don’t have an aversion to green I just want it to feel real. I don’t avoid it or put aside an idea just because it involves a palette rich with greens. I do spend time studying nature and the setting I will be painting. I do spend time mixing what I think translates to an authentic color scheme that works for my subject. I do try to address the transitions within the landscape that supports my main subject. And I do have a tremendous admiration for those who paint beautiful lush “green” landscape pieces.

In the end, Kermit the Frog sings, “… I am green and it’ll do fine, it’s beautiful!” and with some artistic license taken I add, “Green is beautiful and it’s what I want to paint.”

As practicing, professional artists we all know how important it is to use our own reference photos as a starting place for our works of art. But that is exactly what those photos should be – only a starting point.  Having reference photos to work from should never limit us to only what we see in front of us. We should be able to move beyond the pictures and imagine more, freeing ourselves to experiment and explore.

Many years ago (about 12 to be precise) my husband, grandson and I paid a visit to a wild animal park on the other side of the state. Of course, we took many photos during our trip which I have made use of often throughout the years. Recently I went through them again as I contemplated another series of paintings based on a North American wildlife theme. (Back then we were still using a pre-digital camera, so I had stacks of actual photos to physically look through. It was definitely old school, I know, but I had a lot of fun reminiscing!)

I found three images in particular that struck my fancy. They were each nice shots of the individual animals, but the surrounding backgrounds were unexceptional. I know I had used at least one of the photos before as a reference for a painting, but it doesn’t matter if you revisit your references . . . especially if you plan on really changing things up. That was my idea, so I let my imagination run wild going way beyond the basic picture before me.

The adult black bear was a beauty. I absolutely loved the expression on her face and it made me wonder what she was smiling about. Almost instantly I “saw” a mom with cubs playing all around her. A lot of imagination went into the addition of the little ones, but I am happy with the story I was able to tell by starting off with momma bear’s enigmatic smile.

In my photo the snowy owl was nestled amongst the ferns looking slightly up at the camera. A lovely portrait to be sure, but I wanted something a bit more dramatic. I thought an ombré of dark blues for a background would really allow my owl to “pop” on my canvas. I then added spatters that could either be interpreted as stars or snow, this being left up to each individual viewer.

Wolves have always fascinated me and this one was no exception. Even after all these years I still remember standing before her for as long as time allowed transfixed by her regal bearing. Although I am sure she was not the alpha female, in my mind I believe she might very well be the beta. That is why I titled this painting, “Lady in Waiting.” (Historically, a lady in waiting was often a noble woman, but of a lower rank than the female she served.) This wolf seemed so magnificent and dignified to me…definitely with a sense of nobility. I imagined her in a place of beauty, surrounded by flowers with sunlight filtering through to the ground. This is the setting I envisioned.

So, you see, as an artist you can let your mind wander and your imagination fly even with a very mundane reference shot right in front of you. In fact, it is encouraged. That is what creativity is all about, after all.