Last week in class with Bill Buchman, we learned more about color theory. He started with a lecture about color, showed us what he meant by color temperature and opposite/complementary as well as neutral colors and we also talked about our "bad painting" exercise the week before.

Then, we had a short amount of time to do an exercise based on his talk. For structure, Bill asked us to draw some letters using oil pastel which would resist the watercolor media we would paint over the letters. The letters should overlap to make it interesting. Bill did the one below while we worked on our own.

Color chart above is in Bill's book, Expressive Figure drawing

Close up of Bill's try - I just love the colors!! You can tell he is quite practiced at color theory. Below, you will see some student work and different approaches to Bill's color exercise.

I caught Bill Buchman by surprise here . . .I have been having a great time learning from him and painting in his class. I will certainly miss it when class ends April 23.

(above) This is mine and I do not like it one bit! I find solace in the remark that Bill made in an earlier class. He said, "An artist is someone who can make something he does not like but goes on to make more pieces, does not give up."

I know this one above is Barbara's, it is beautiful!

Another view of Bill Buchman's piece. Bill has made some great instructional DVDs should you want to learn from him yourself. Watching them is like being in a class with him. I have watched Zen Breakthrough: Making Contemporary Experimental Art with Sumi-e Brushes, reed pens and Mixed media and will go back again and again to learn more. My friend Frieda Oxenham in Scotland, purchased Bill's video Creative Breakout, The Art of Freedom and loved it! There are more DVDs available too - I just got his new one: Keeping the Melody: Making Contemporary Abstracts with Inspiring Materials and Techniques. I know this will keep me busy practicing his ideas and techniques till the next time I can take class in person with him again. There are a few more weeks to go of classes at the Longboat Key Center for the arts, so I am sure to be back with more. I do like this part of my exercise a bit . . . click to view

: ) lenna