I useda varietyofreds—fromdark
red-orangestopalered-violets—
tocreatea dramaticsenseoflight
andshadowinKeepersoftheCreek
(12x18).I carefullycontrolledwhich
redwentwhere,placingwarmer,
deeperredsintheforegroundand
cooler,lighterredsintheback-
ground.Interspersedwiththesevivid
colorsarea varietyofrichbluesand
greenstopunchupthedrama.The Three Pigments
Alizarin, the first synthetic red, was
created by a French chemist in 1826,
but it also proved fugitive. Finally,
in the late-19th century, German
chemists created the first permanent
mineral colors, giving us cadmium
red, which has the color of naturally
occurring cinnabar. Henri Matisse
(French, 1869–1954), one of the first
proponents of cadmium red, tried
but failed to convince Pierre-Auguste
Renoir (French, 1841–1919) to switch
to it from his beloved vermilion.
Since the late 1800s, a variety of
organic red pigments—“organic”
meaning that they contain carbon—
have been created in the laboratory.
These modern pigments, such as
naphthol red, quinacridone red and
pyrrole red, give us some of our most
intense, lightfast colors.
Red in Action
Red, in large amounts, can be quite
dramatic, as in a stunning sunset.
As you put red to work in your
paintings, keep these ideas in mind.
Red can mean danger, after all—
but not if you know how to use
it properly. PJPastelist Michael Chesley Johnson
(mchesleyjohnson.com) is the author of
Outdoor Study to Studio: Take Your Plein
Air Painting to the Next Level and other
books, and is also a painting instructor
who’s featured in several Artists Network
TV videos (artistsnetwork.com/store). He
teaches painting workshops throughout
the United States.In smaller amounts, it can serve as a
“spice” color. A single speck near the
center of interest can pull the eye.
Because I’m primarily a landscape
painter, I find myself using reds
in almost every one of my pastel
paintings. As one might expect, I use
them in Southwestern landscapes
where great swaths of exposed rock
reveal earthy reds. I also use it in
paintings featuring vegetated land-
scapes that seem to be smothered by
green because there’s red beneath
that overwhelming green, especially
in shadows and darks. As I paint,
I add a variety of reds to these areas.
Because red is the complement of
green, it modifies green wonderfully.
Depending on how it’s applied, red
can either intensify or dull greens.
(See “Quick Tips,” on page 20). Scum-
bling a little red over green will jazz
up both colors, thanks to broken color
and simultaneous contrast. But blend
a little red into the green, and both
become dulled.ArtistsNetwork.com 21