Value Judgments

Photo from Jennifer McChristian

Painting is all about making value judgments. And I don't mean the sort that concern good and evil!  In the world of art, "value" describes the relative lightness or darkness of things. Many fine artists believe that value is far more important than color in the success of a painting. I remember quite well what Peggi Kroll Roberts said to us in a workshop, "Color gets all the glory, but value does all the work." So true.

If you're not familiar with the concept of value, you can start by thinking of a black and white
photograph. The darkest areas are a low value, and the lightest areas are a high value.  Every color has a value, in addition to a hue. The photo just above shows a value scale, marked to show values numbered from 1 to 4--a handy tool for the painter.

Demonstraton value study by Jennifer McChristian

It's important for painters to learn to see the world in just a few values. Seeing in just three of four values helps you organize the canvas into a pleasing array of shapes. In fact, some painters always do a "value study" of their subject before they begin the painting. It's a way of problem-solving and learning to see the subject, before you put paint on the canvas. I think that Jennifer McChristian does some of the most sensitive and beautiful value studies of any painter I know. The top image shows her working tools. She often uses markers in varying shades of gray. Lately she has also done value studies in gouache, such as the one immediately below. 

Value Study, (c) Jennifer McChristian

Taking a tip from McChristian, I took Copic markers with me to Paris on a recent trip. I didn't have time to execute complete paintings, but I did a number of quick value studies on location. Some of them I really loved. My favorites have become the basis of larger paintings back home in the studio. You can see one example below. The first shot is the value study, followed by the finished painting. I tried to be faithful to the values, even when laying down the color. Stay tuned for more to come!

Value Study, (c) Lesley Powell

"Across Pont des Invalides"
14 x 14, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2017