Michael Newberry, California Canyon, 2009, oil on panel, 9 x 12 inches.
Michael Newberry, California Canyon,
2009, oil on panel, 9 x 12 inches.
I once heard an interview with Harrison Ford, and he attributed one element of his acting success to that when he was a kid he enjoyed moving one pile of snow from one area to another. In a similar way one of the things I love most about painting is moving color around and specifically placing it in the "right" spatial spot. It gives me an irresistible pleasure. Like near the end of a jigsaw puzzle, when all the pieces begin to fit.
Related to moving the paint around, color theory helps a great deal. In this case the hot red shadows help bring forward the rock walls, and color, purple shadows send the walls back in space.