Pine Cross Gets a Facelift

This latest version of Pine Cross was actually painted last year at "Studio B", Bethesda studio location. This painting is part of my original "Earth Object" series, and the method of painting I developed years ago called "Image Archaeology.  You can read all about Image Archaeology here:  http://imagearchaeologist.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html.

 

The teal background is dark and similar in value to the pine cone itself.  I want to lighten the teal background so that the pine cone stands out more.  In order to do this, I will bring up the value of the teal color by adding white to a mixture of teal and red.

Color Mixing Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TofHckSVAlQ&t=78s
This video shows the color that was mixed to lighten the background of the painting.

Painting After Developing a Lighter Value

The teal background color has been toned down in intensity. by adding a lighter shade of green on its surface.  I used a scumbling method to layer the paint onto the surface. The pine cone has a different feel, and no longer competing with the bright green background color.  It seems to be more at rest in the surrounding environment.

Monday Morning Reds

It struck me this morning that I needed more red in this painting. The pink was too "sweet".  The painting is now starting to get some vibrancy and life.