TM8870 October’s Parade 6×6 oil on paper

TM8869 Into the Woods #58 6×6 oil on paper

TM8871 October’s Red 6×6 oil on paper

October is the season of red – cool, warm, saturated, subtle, and everything in between. The first and third paintings rely on mostly napthol red for their intense color, while the second painting uses primarily Venetian red for its more subtle color. I sometimes think of the painting’s color as a chord, a select group of three or four, or maybe five colors setting up a tonal harmony, much like in music. The harmony can be bright and joyous, quietly somber, melancholy, or broadly balanced. Painting the same scene with different harmonies changes the emotional tenor of the subject, and yields surprises, something Claude Monet showed us so beautifully. Thank you Claude.