Color Block Simplicity

Painting with more color and keeping the art as simple as possible. A series of of steps outlined just for you!

In the video above I show my preliminary drawing of the painting I am creating from an archived photo I took in 1987 at Lamy, New Mexico. This is a focused shot centered on the top of the front of the Catholic Church Our Lady of Light. The scene was backlit with bright white in the lower sky and the building was black except for the light peaking through the belfry wooden slots that were rotting out pretty quickly during this era.

Although I love to make very loose almost abstract landscapes, when I get to drawing or sketching I get over detailed in capturing the details. I draw, and draw, and keep drawing until I forget. This sketch was for the painting! I’m not trying to make a large drawing!

Recently I decided to attempt to loosen up my drawing, simplify my painting, and add a lot more color. I had some colors in mind since I like green-gold diluted in titanium white, yellow and yellow-orange AZO, almost any blue diluted with titanium white, and I have always, always, tried to add red somewhere in every painting.

Please check ou my video of the drawing and color wheel at big decision time. Picking the colors! Then you can step though my painting as I progressed for the next two days. My finished painting is listed here on this website too. Check it out.

Thanks for viewing!

Our Lady of Light in Lamy New Mexico painted in acrylics on a 24” X 30” X 1.5” Stretched Gallery Wrap Canvas