Class Notes: What's the Value ?

The last 8 weeks in class our ongoing discussion has been about Value; the dark, the light, and how to understand value and communicate value in your work. In the painting to the right, black acrylic and only the white of the canvas were used to communicate the subject. Color is not needed to explain the metal can, the white cup or the dark red apple. Relative values explain the forms but also reveal to the viewer what is happening with the light on those forms. Value, more than color is key to a successful painting.