For new artwork, I want to explore ways of abstracting the landscape, so I’ll be giving myself some little challenges to jumpstart the process. I’m also considering developing a mixed media class for abstract landscapes, so these blogs will be a sneak peak into what you too can try if you are interested.

Here is my little assignment to myself, and this painting is the result:

I’ve been walking around in the fall landscape, naming colors to myself: dry seal gray, pewter, honeyed amber, pomegranite skin, parchment, iceberg lettuce green, lichen green, mustard, rusted chevy leaves, straw, sludge, rich caramel, butter, robin’s breast, and my favorite: Adiron (the name of our daughter’s life sized fuzzy crocodile which was originally purchased in the Adirondacks, hence the name).

The names should be personal to you, evocative with clarity, in a way that you can mix that color when you get into the studio. I’ve made all of these into collage papers, which you’ll see surface in the coming weeks in new work.

Now for this exercise, choose four of your colors, plus white and paint a landscape from memory, using both thin glazing layers, as well as thick layers too, while paying attention to values.

This landscape is the result of me choosing to use Adiron, pomegranate skin, mustard and straw. It is done in oil on Arches oil paper, and is 22″x30.”

Click here to purchase the original oil painting.

Click here to obtain prints and merchandise with this artwork on it.

What do you think? Will you give this process a try? Share some color naming in the comments!