Fire Hydrant

Fire Hydrant, 8x10" oil, plein air, Diane Mannion

Punta Gorda Historic District

Always a pleasure painting with the Peace River Painters!   Yesterday in Punta Gorda about ten artists were scattered about Gilchrist Park.  

Afterwards, when we lined up our paintings to compare, an artist commented that my fire hydrant was too bright.  He was right... will darken it later.  I got carried away with the spot of red and how it became a pivot point in my composition.  But yes, will tone it down.

Fire Hydrant was painted with a limited palette suggested by Lori Putnam.  Cadmium yellow medium, pyrol red, ultramarine blue, and titanium white.  Follow the link to her blog article at the end of this post. 

I always use these three colors but prefer to work with a split primary palette of a warm and cool color of each primary.  And I usually use red iron oxide to start with.  But Fire Hydrant is a "pure" RYB limited palette.  No black or gray, except what I mix with three primaries.  

I find reaching back to the basic primary colors is the backbone of any painting.  Just think about it, everything is red, yellow, and blue!  Even a sheet of white paper or a cloud.  There's a little red, yellow, and blue in everything!

I painted from the back of my car under the raised hatchback door.  My favorite place, a rolling studio with everything handy, even a spot for my poodle, Shadow to nap while I paint.  Stopped at MickyD's for an egg McMuffin to share but she refused, forcing me to eat the whole thing.  If a dog won't eat 

it... should we be worried?

 Lori Putnam, Color Mixing