The color in this work, Wall Street--Arches, Utah, by Carl Dalio calls to mind the scorching heat of a summer day, as opposed to the more delicate hints of color that accompany spring.

I’m a color junkie. In fashion, in design, and especially in painting, vibrant color is what gets me creative. But before the image of Mimi from The Drew Carey Show becomes forever attached to my name in your mind, I’ll point out that I can control myself…sometimes. It’s tough, though, especially now that spring is officially here and I’m starting to see hints of color everywhere.

But that’s exactly what I remind myself when I start to grab and mix 20 (okay, more like 30!) colors on a palette—right now I’m seeing hints of color. We’ve got quite a few more weeks to go before we are in the full-blown color feast of spring, so my mantra right now is: ‘color is subtle.’ Say it with me.

That means when painting, I’m not accentuating color everywhere. Instead I add in pops of color—grass green, poppy red, and lemon yellow—against a warm neutral like burnt sienna. It’s not that I’m trying to avoid high-octane colors—because really, who could resist?—but I’m using them to create more transparent layers or delicate washes, which means a lot more depth and nuance.

	Marcia Burtt takes intense colors, as in Low Tide, Pink Sky, and mixes them to natural effects.

To that end, our Best of Watercolor has been a revelation for me. It’s packed with ways to make complex and subtle color mixes, step-by-step demonstrations about how to layer color, and reveals how renowned painters like Jamie Wyeth use color more abstractly. For instance, painting a hillside doesn’t just have to be all about the green. It can become an exercise in creating rich and inviting earth tones, too, in layers of green, yellow, red, and blue, with hints of them all peeking out.

That same idea is played out in Marcia Burtt’s DVD, Mastering Plein Air Acrylic Painting, in which she creates an acrylic painting of the beautiful California coast with a varied and extensive color palette.

It’s the way that you use color—not just the color itself—that can give you the most satisfaction in your latest artwork. Spring will always be about fresh and vibrant color, but you can celebrate the season by thinking creatively and complexly about how to incorporate it. For more resource on using color to powerful effect check out all the great instructional guides in the Artist Daily online store while our Store Sale is still going on! Enjoy!

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