Red Clay Road

Where is the Red Clay Road? Anywhere you look in North Carolina. Right? This creates wonderful opportunities for those of us who paint outdoors. Why? I will share here. But before I do, I want to welcome new readers. And, if you are interested in learning more about the focus of this blog, check this link here.

What’s Underneath

In North Carolina, clay is ever present. If you just scrape off any grass or surface in this place, you’ll discover red clay. If it has rained, that clay can be a gooey, sticky material. Or say it has been dry, red clay can be as hard as a brick to dig or remove.

And, if you wander into nearby woods, underneath the path covered in leaves and pine needles, likely is red clay. As a painter, one of the best things about red clay is the contrast it creates with the landscape. No matter where you are here, if you are near a field or forest, there’s always a patch or big swath of red clay.

In this 4×6 inch color sketch on canvas paper, I made sure to include a red clay path. It’s warm color offers a compliment to the grass in the foreground and trees in the background. I love seeking out ways to incorporate complimentary colors into paintings and color sketches.

This Week’s Color Sketch

This past Saturday, I painted outdoors, bright and early at the NC Museum of Art Park. Even though most days are still steamy here, the early morning weather on Saturday was cool. Ah! When I arrived, I checked in with a few other hearty artists. Then I walked towards the right and followed a path. My goal? To find a shady spot with views to paint. I did not have to wander far. Here’s a photo of my easel after I had painted for several hours.

If you look on the lower right hand side of this photo, you will see patches of red clay. So, I got home from that adventure and decided to do a larger version of one of the sketches from the NCMA.

I’m still trying to decide if I want to paint an even larger version of this color sketch. Hmmm….we’ll see.

More Complimentary Colors

You can see that complimentary colors are abundant here. Where? On my morning walks, I have seen luscious green oak leaves on the ground in our front yard. Early signs of fall? Perhaps! And, at the same time, the bright red dogwood berries are on the trees and ground these days. Here’s a photo of my sketchbook this week. I loved pairing the oak leaves with the bright red dogwood berries!

What’s Next

I will keep you posted if I decide to make this color sketch into a much larger painting. So stay tuned! In the meantime, what about you gentle reader? What’s next up with you? I am curious to hear. Please do share in the comments below. And, thank you so much for reading here today!