Monday, December 3, 2012

Color Notes - Sap Green

Most academic color discussions will start with the primary colors, red, blue, and yellow.   Aha!  I am no scholar and what I know about color, came from sitting down and getting dirty.  I want to talk about Sap Green today, because it is the one color that I would choose to have with me if I were stranded on a desert island. 
No colors give me more trouble than the greens.  I simply don't have an eye for green.  I have no trouble when using reds or yellows, but greens never look natural in my works, no matter how hard I try.  When I see plein air paintings by some of my contemporaries, I always marvel at how realistic or natural their greens are. ( MENTAL NOTE.....I will conquer green this year.)
OK, Sap Green.  This green is usually nice and juicy,straight from the tube  It is a transparent  color and makes wonderful glazes.  It is one of the few greens that I find looks natural straight from the tube.  Now, mix a little Indian Yellow to it and you have a super natural looking green.  I have started using this green in most of all my green mixes.  Now, take some Alizarin Crimson (another transparent color) and add that to Sap Green and you will have a wonderful rich brown to put into your landscapes. If you have a bright red and need to reduce it's intensity, just add a bit of Sap Green to grey it down.  The downside to Sap Green is that it is a fugitive color, or so I am told by the scholars.  I doubt I will live long enough to prove or disprove this, so I still want my Sap Green.

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