Richard McKinley
Recently, I read an interview with plein air painter Richard McKinley. The following are some of his thoughts.
As artists, we are very visual, and any form of painting is visual. Our visual patterns were etched in our psyche in childhood; the colors and patterns of our childhood are the ones with which we are most comfortable as adults.
Every landscape painter paints the body of water or the road winding back into the distance. These have a sense of mystery. The artist tries to make the landscape a little more poetic.
Painting provides a challenge – the intellectual and emotional stimulation – that an artist needs. The painting is like a dance partner; sometimes it steps on the artist’s toes, sometimes it’s the other way around; sometimes we barely make it to the end; sometimes we quit midway because it isn’t working. And sometimes it turns out great! It’s the partnership that keeps the artist coming back.
Violet is the magic tone in the landscape. Whether it is warm or cool, it serves as the perfect bridge between the worlds of weather and light conditions, and it’s everywhere. My own teacher, many years ago, advised,”When in doubt, use purple”.