Color Theory Watercolor

When our kids were small I didn’t have time to sketch when we were traveling, but I could take notes of the colors I saw in a small notebook –everything from laundry lines, to bird plumage, to colors on a wall — and then I would lay down studies after they were in bed. This was the most effective visual journal I could muster and it turned into a valuable tool to increase my color literacy. We all register the impact of landscape in many different ways and mine begins with color. I finally realized these notations, these studies, are maps of a sort.

Showing all 31 results

instagram

Regular studio happenings, new pattern designs and gardening at 8K.

Follow @IsaCattoStudio

Jan 8

Wrapping up the day while Rose waits patiently for her evening stroll. I started a new series focused on the more intimate details of the garden. A beat up Hawthorne tree inspired this painting. For a few years one of my non-native trees, a Hawthorne, attracted our bear-in-residence. Every Fall he would sit in the small tree and wreak havoc. Every Fall I would prune the broken limbs and hope to get the tree back into shape. And the tree did grow back, but on its own terms. I used to despair over its spooky, Grimm’s fairy tale like appearance but now I like the evidence of its resiliency. So this is a snapshot of the tangle of limbs and shoots, with lingering berries, on a clear winter’s day. Swipe for a closer look.

Dec 31

One of my studio visitors recently quipped that I was “all over the place.” It’s true. I am drawn to a great many things. Sometimes ideas take hold and other times I’m too distracted to pursue them. Those who follow me know I use irrational numbers to hone my understanding of color, to chart patterns and vibrancy within each numerical iteration, each numerical sequence. I love pulling together a palette, applying an algorithm and examining how the colors change according to what the adjacent color is. Colors shift according to who they are adjacent to—just like people. Some people raise a vibration and others dull it. This is my latest study — Spectrum—executed with the plain but hard working colored pencil on Twinrocker paper. Much bigger work on the way.

Dec 24

We are getting ready for a long winter's nap after our Christmas Eve feast. Love to the loyal and engaged audience on this page! We thank you and your enthusiasm feeds our endeavors.🎄🎄🎄#holidaygifts #smallbiz #merrychrismas #interiorstyling #christmaseve #christmastree #christmasdecor #christmaswreath #homefortheholidays #tistheseason #holidaytraditions #christmasdecor #solstice #holidaydecor #interiordecor #familytradition #amaryliss #amarylissbulb #growyourown #whitechristmas #colorcrush #tistheseason #wintersolstice #colorred #christmasflowers #holidaydecorating #holidayseason #yuletide #holidayjoy #artistshome

Dec 20

Dec 15

Rose is not burying her head in the proverbial sand. It’s just her kind of weather and she likes hunting for voles beneath the snow surface. We had a lovely open studio on Saturday with a tremendous turnout. Thank you for all who braved the cold and made it. It looks like we are heading into a white Christmas!

Dec 9

It is amazing what the humble colored pencil can do. My old pastels were dust so I turned to my color pencil collection. The inspiration? A kikoi (see last slide for sartorial context) woven at a collective in Northern Kenya. I am using the same color algorithm I use to combine the hues but with different tools. The kikoi color combinations were simply stunning — and in some instances perfect maps of the color, mood and landscape. All woven in horizontal row after row. Definitely a work in progress, or a process in progress.