Highly recommended art/composition books

Hi everyone, I want to share two excellent books that deal with art, composition, mass and value planning. These books have been a huge help to me, and have taught me A LOT! If you want to take your drawing/painting to the next level, and you feel that you struggle with composition, design, and value planning, these books are EXCELLENT resources.

1)Your Artist's Brain by Carl Purcell
2)Mastering Composition by Ian Roberts

Free Online Landscape Painting Webinar

Here is a GREAT resource for anyone wanting to learn more about color, mass planning, value planning, and landscape painting.  Professional artist Johannes Vloothuis is offering a free art class every Saturday and Sunday from noon until 2pm (New York City/Eastern Standard Time) over the next few months (Feb-Mar).  The webinar URL is:  https://www1.gotomeeting.com/join/616569648/106910440

For more information on the class itself, go to:  http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=872822&goto=nextoldest

Duo paints just arrived!

I just received 4 tubes of Duo Aqua oil paints in the mail today....I received Alizarin Crimson, Imidazolone Yellow, Ultramarine Light, and Phthalo Blue.  Adding these to my existing palette, I will now have 2 reds, 2 yellows, and 2 blues to utilize in the majority of my paintings.  I'll be creating a value chart of these colors and their complimentary colors over the coming weeks, then will be painting landscapes beginning in February!

Color chart and value study

Over the next few weeks I'll be creating a value study from approximately eight colors (this includes a white and a chromatic gray).  I plan on using a warm and cool blue, a warm and cool red, and a warm and cool yellow.  I'll do a value study of:

1) the 'primary' colors
2) the co-primaries
3) the complementary colors after I've mixed them together. 

This will help strengthen my understanding of color, color relationships, and skill in mixing and creating various colors for my paintings.

Color Theory

I've recently been brushing up on my knowledge of color and color relationships, and specifically complementary colors, chromatic grays, temperature, and value.  I'm very excited to incorporate this into my landscape paintings.....I know I'll be able to produce much more vibrant and interesting paintings because of this understanding! 

Inspiration and Motivation

It's been about 3 months since I last painted anything, and this is due mainly to the fact that I've been updating my website, creating a blog, twitter, and linkedIn profiles.  One thing I'm excited to do is change my painting process....I typically mix my oil paints as I go, but now I'm thinking I'll pre-mix all my colors.  I've been getting inspiration from numerous sources, one being Richard Robinson (www.newzealandartist.com).  This will help me produce paintings which have more balance, and better atmospheric perspective!

Art on display and for sale!

If anyone happens to walk past Art Ellis @ 2508 J St in Sacramento, make sure to check out the art in their front window! My original paintings will be on display the entire month of January, and they are for sale. More affordable reproductions of my art are also for sale on my website:  http://www.stevekohr.com/prints/prints.shtml