Color Studies

While I was waiting for the three grounds to dry over the last few days, I began to work on a series of drawings and color studies for the main images. The drawings are largely done for all three, and I began to consider color, focusing first on a painting I'll call "Clear Creek" because of the creek that ran behind our house in Friendswood, Texas. I had painted a plein air view on canvas panel some years ago, always intending to turn that study into a full scale studio painting, which I'm doing now.

I began with a pastel study which suggested a color direction. I then created two oil color studies, and I particularly like the second of those. A sweet little study! This has helped me to settle on a palette of Ultramarine Blue, Cerulean, Lemon Yellow, Cad Yellow, Cad Red and Permanent Rose, with Titanium, of course.

Now I have to decide whether to proceed with that painting or create color studies of the two remaining paintings (working singly or en masse). We'll see.