![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKW8rq13y-Pbw7hLibVBUZneyXLFPNDwWlqUF9Rmdks_Pb4vPGm4YOcDNnsZiElHKcNLQIMriGVjlbyqr0Q2m4mh-vojyjqWqMztD2GpoFAhBoDvZWypcVL5w29Vff_5F6yWee/s400/DM_Perkins_color_workshop.jpg)
Here are a few samples of the many color studies I did last week at the Bill Perkins workshop that I advertised in the previous post. It was my second time taking the color theory workshop, and although I don't know if it's showing up in my work yet, I think I'm starting to grasp some of the concepts that Bill talked about. These were all 40 minute studies of various color and lighting situations.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4Q3qmxOOefGGoHXeJhCDnyPLKp94YM2LNOWiaoQ8cJ5oSLa0fDt4xAW8ECEq9uVazCZ7lOujlkBRBEg7D9mYYXrSeX0sgvi9hJ9dJItHyVXytU_S2L8t34OjTdcgXlQbpoRw/s400/DM_Perkins_color_workshop_final.jpg)
This one was the last one I did at the color workshop and we got to spend 80 minutes on it, which by that time seemed like an eternity. Ok, not really-it just seemed like 80 minutes. I still had to paint really fast. I took a picture after every 20 minutes during the model breaks so you can kind of see the progression.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYF-fqOf1X8XBd0gBvWFagU0lS3iPxAJlMcqBwSbpxUIha_TA60WkOSergYHa-ToN_ifpkx0MM8x81hlqey9NYkDWAMCw8-SOqSvOzMkMuyh8rT1Gz9Q7YBMTEcXpKQ44MWucH/s400/DM_Perkins_workshop_steps.jpg)
The second half of the week was the plein air workshop. We spent a lot of time watching Bill paint, looking for good painting locations, looking for good eating locations(this was the most successful part for me) and in between all that I painted these studies. I don't feel like these turned out particularly well, but I was trying some things that I don't usually do, like paint rainbow umbrellas. Bill gave me some good things to think about, so hopefully my next few paintings will start to show some improvement.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb8mp8sYgX9wUN3hpB4XdRg7q_aDOsx79IuQysQdWYO_QjyQK5UXdVkdM4lWwMjLr90ju46odoxSImK01itGQc2OZjqjJZQCccpkgsHWFNGdGTY9N-jts71lSoAJ8c6-hzOJrW/s400/DM_workshop_plein_air.jpg)
All in all it was a great week of painting with some of my favorite artist friends, filled with a lot of "a-ha" moments, as in "A-ha! so that's what Sargent and Sorolla were doing" and "A-ha! So that's why my paintings look nothing like Sargent and Sorolla." I now have lots to think about.