Since I wrote this blog post, “How Green is Blue?” I’ve painted with REAL ultramarine blue made of lapis lazuli. I found it very very different from synthetic ultramarine which is more uniform in texture, more opaque and more intense in oil paint, anyway.
Ultramarine made with Lapis Lazuli in the sky… 
ALL the blue in this painting is synthetic ultramarine
As for the other kind of blues? I’m feeling it today.
https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2020/05/21/ragtag-daily-prompt-thursday-the-blues/
That painting of the snow with the fence has long been a favorite of mine. Who knew there were so many shades of blue?!
I guess that depends on the complexity of one’s personality 😉
Added to those blues are all the variations you get by mixing in white or gray or even yellow. I think every artist has their favorite blue. Many like cobalt blue and I don’t even own a tube of it!
That’s lovely
Thank you. ❤
Sorry you’re feeling blue — time for a walk with one of the dogs! It’s beautiful here today! Sunny and comfortable temp and little or no wind. The kind of day that I wish every day could be!Unfortunately, we have another heat wave on the way, and it will be in the 90’s in a few days!
I did just that. I took Teddy out to the Big Empty and we had a good time. Now I fell a lot better. ❤ Beautiful day here, too. Cooler, fresh wind NOT blowing 60 mph. We had frost last night :O
Yay — I love what a little fresh air and exercise can do for one! ❤ Wow — still frost at night! That helps, too!
We haven’t had frost all of May :O
Ride with the blue waves…. who knew brush strokes in a paint chart could be so appealing!? I’ve never heard of Lapis Lazuli..I love the sky in the first painting.
Lovely!
Thank you!!!!
I am so glad that an old prompt of mine has lead to these wonderful creations Martha. You really have the blues on the palette. Thanks for joining in 🙂
❤ It didn't start out so well, but it got redeemed. 🙂
I love the idea of painting with real colors made by the artist
I would love to do that but the equipment is really, really expensive. I spent a weekend at fresco school in LA and I got to make (synthetic) ultramarine blue. It was a really great thing for me though it’s a lot like making pesto with a mortar and pestle…
Oh, I’m sure it would be. I became fascinated by it when watching ‘the girl with the pearl earring’ and saw Vermeer mixing in just that way.
Whoa…I’m watching that now. (Twilight Zone)
Really!
🙂
Lovely and my favorite color:)
❤
I hope you’ve reached the green zone now, Martha.
I took a risk and got what I expected, but still. All is well now. The Big Empty did its magic.
Good.
A beautiful and intense celestial color. Symbol for spirit and wisdom. The lapiz lazuli stone is used as a third eye chakra in meditation and is said to tone the mind and heart of the wearer. It’s one of my favourite shades of blue and those are some really pretty paintings.
Thank you! It’s a miraculous color, all right. For a while I often dreamed about it. I’ve really loved having the REAL ultramarine to paint with. It’s a magical pigment. I can only aspire to “spirit and wisdom” but when that paint is on my brush, great things happen in my paintings. It’s expensive, but I wish I’d always known it.
It is striking how much difference there between the synthetic and natural pigments. I’m enamored with the sky over the potato shed. It is awesome! Are you starting any new paintings? I’d love to see a painting of Bear in the Big Empty with the wind and the sky and the blue! (Hope all the blue stays in the tube and on the canvas and not in your soul)
All the pigments I used for the potato barn painting are natural pigments except some of the cerulean in the sky and the bits of turquoise on the door (mixed cerulean with yellow ochre). I’m not painting right now. Still trying to get the garden going. 🙂 A painting of Bear in the big empty would be something. ❤