Complementary

Watercolor Painting by Dennis Pendleton. A few years ago there was a Vincent Van Gogh show at the Denver Art Museum and my favorite painting was one where Vincent used the complimentary colors orange and blue. When I found these flowers at the Denver Botanic Gardens I couldn't resist painting them. A complimentary color scheme is one where the artist uses two colors that are opposite on the color wheel, in this case blue and orange. It is called a complimentary color scheme because the two colors work so well together. This is a small painting, 6 by 8 inches and I like working this size on location because it allows me to finish painting before the light changes. This also allows me time to possibly do a second painting. An artist has several different color schemes to choose from such as Analogous, Split Complementary, and Triad. The Complimentary color scheme is a favorite among artists because it allows for a very direct approach resulting in a dramatic effect. You can introduce other colors in the painting, as I did hear with green, as long as the two complimentary colors remain dominate. This painting could also be called a Tetrad color scheme because it includes the colors red and green. A Tetrad color scheme is where the artist uses four colors on the color wheel that are two sets of compliments, in this case blue and orange and also red and green. If you have not studied the color wheel this all may be a little confusing so just remember that orange and blue work well together. This painting also includes some of the watercolor techniques that make up my style such as colors mixing directly on the paper, spattering, and wet colors running into each other creating different edges. Happy Painting! Dennis Pendleton My last weekend watercolor workshop at Denver Botanic Gardens is this weekend August 27,28, and 29. You can sign up for one, two or all three days and the prices are $95 for one day, $170 dollars for two days and $225 for all three days. If you are interested send me an email pendletonstudio@gmail.com. My ONLINE ZOOM class Glorious Gardens in Watercolor starts September 7th at the Art Students League of Denver. It is a four week class and the time is 1:00 to 3:30. I have had good results with ONLINE ZOOM classes at the Art Students League of Denver and I am excited to teach this one so I hope you will join me. To register go to the Art Students League of Denver website.