Hay Bales in Umbria or Infinite Greens
Just the words “hay bale” surely strike up images of Monet and some of his haystacks, which are far more interesting with their house like shape then today’s uniformly cylindrical things.
Nonetheless these hay bales are always exciting to see, dotting the otherwise green fields back into the distance.
Afternoon Hay Field, Umbria
Oil on Linen Panel
9 x 12″
$600 | Available
After spending 4 weeks teaching in Umbria, I was thrilled to have the chance to get out and paint my last few days before heading back to Rome.
The transition time into summer is by far the most exciting time in Umbria. While everything is still green, all there is to do is take it all in and attempt to mix up as many greens as you can stand!
Agreed that green is a difficult color- not because we can’t mix them or see all the thousands of variations- but because we must be so attuned to that particular color that any non-natural variation that we put on the canvas leaps out at us and screams of fakey kitschy and then it is back to the mixing palette attempting to find a balance and harmony between our greens.
The simplest way that I can think of to teach greens (besides looking first for value and then for color) is to ask yourself the question “does this green have more red, more yellow or more blue in it?”
I know that may sound over simplified, but asking yourself this question while mixing (any color really) will go a long way.
Value first and color second!
With that said, I’m so happy to get back to summer and for the opportunity to paint in the Italian countryside.