Scott had made a box with a cut-out viewfinder which was painted black on the inside. He explained that today his demo would be a "high key" painting where the value range is much narrower than normal. The goal was to have more colors in the lights and darks -- more like the original impressionists. Warms and cools are still preserved but the value ranges are much closer together. He talked and demonstrated how interesting paintings have values broken down into components of various colors with the same value for example a red and a blue of the same value. The eye will blend them together rather than mixing a separate purple color on the palette.

He reminded us that if you were to decide to paint a "high key" painting you must decide before the block in and set the darkest dark and the lightest light in the painting from the beginning.

Buildings were something most of us look upon as challenging. Scott reassured us by asking us to paint big shapes to get the "feel" of the buildings. If we tried to do an architectural rendering we'd have a pretty boring painting --- not to mention the fact that we’d run out of light before we finished. Look for darks and lights -- simplify -- don't paint details.

Scott described the darks in a high key painting as having "air" in them. In other words there were lots of colors present in the darks. He reminded us that once we set up the darkest dark, we couldn't then go in with a darker dark later into the painting because all of the values are relative in a high key painting and to suddenly insert a dark that is darker that the darkest dark which was initially established would throw the whole painting off. High key paintings often look "pastely", or colorful. They are impressionistic with lots of grays. He mentioned that framing a high key painting with a very dark frame will set it off well.

Scott's demo was terrific and the group began to set up wherever we wanted. Many of us (including Susan, Scott's wife) gathered near the spot where he had done his demo and enjoyed the afternoon trying to practice what we had just watched. I found a spot nearby which was shaded to avoid the problems I had the day before. I enjoyed painting with Sara from Canada. My painting wasn't as high key as Scott's, but it turned out okay. I left a corner dry so I could carry it home on the train.. (I have no canvas carriers.)

I have never used paints as thick as Scott does and didn't today either, but will set that as a goal for the future as I love the buttery look to the paintings he does. Sara, Joey, Lynne, Lyle and I ate lunch together at a restaurant perched on the hillside near the trail to Corniglia which overlooks the city and the harbor. -- Great conversation and wonderful food and companionship. A wonderful day!