ArtistsNetwork.com 45WORKINGS OF IMAGINATION
In the image at left, Schmid sits in front of his
partially painted still life, Orchid. To his right is the
actual setup, backed by a sheet of cardboard. In the
finished painting (below), the background appears
more silken, lavender and orange blossoms and a
different variety of foliage have been added, and the
rim of the pot has taken on a smoother shape—all
workings of Schmid’s imagination.Orchid
2010; oil on canvas, 14x20Schmid, the Mentor
Schmid didn’t teach us as in a class, but we all painted with him in a group known as the Putney Painters. He’d generously come
around and help us, and the most amazing part of all was that we were able to watch him paint, have discussions with him and
ask questions. One of the best pieces of advice I received from him is, “Do the color charts!” He advocated creating charts for
the main colors on the palette. The charts combine two colors and white, broken down into fi ve diff erent values. One can then
mix almost any color. Rather than mix piles of paint that don’t make what I’m looking for, I simply pull out my charts and fi nd
the color. It’s also amazing what new colors I’ve learned from making these charts. Richard says to redo them every 10 years.
—Stephanie Birdsall (stephaniebirdsall.com), a Putney Painter member