Category: Practice, Teaching and Technique

Developing the Bi Colors, part 2

Judith Reeve, The Full Spectrum Palette with the Bi Colors on the second line.
Judith Reeve, The cool Bi Colors with a touch of white added in order to see the tones clearly.

In my last blog, I discussed the process of creating the Bi Colors. Here, in the example above, I have charted out the entire palette using the practical on p. 51 of my book, The Color Investigations of Robert Henri, Vol. 1. Although there is an example in Vol. 2, Image 7-6, p. 15 of this practical, the clarity of seeing the colors freshly laid out on the glass palette, gives one a truer sense of the optical properties of the semi-neutrals. One can observe the subtle shift within the Bi Color line. I have marked the locations of the R Bi, Y Bi and B Bi (tape) with the primary and secondary Hues on the last line. One can follow the primary, Y, descending along its color scale, moving vertically from its root note (top line) through the semi-neutral Y Bi to the Y hue.

Note that there are no secondary Bi Colors of O Bi, G Bi, or V Bi. Since the intervals between the tones along the semi-neutral Bi colors are close, Henri felt these secondary notes were unnecessary. It would be hard to insert an extra color between the present intervals. In the second image of the cool Bi Colors, I added white to the bottom of each note so that both the color temperature and the neutrality of the darker colors could be observed. I use these cool Bi Colors extensively in my work. They sit well next to warmer, more intense colors from the top line of root notes.

H.G. Maratta, through his Margo Paint brand, provided the artist with the 15 Bi Colors in tubes, creating a highly tuned palette ready for use. As Henri adjusted his choice of root notes along the top line, he would tube the Bi Colors he selected for each painting, not necessarily mixing all 15 notes. Note that if one uses a set palette, such as a major or minor chord, one’s Bi colors would appear slightly different for each chord, but related to the example above. The important thing is to create a harmonious palette that works for you. Changing the selection of the root notes of R, Y, and B, you get a specific set of Bi Colors that relate to this specific palette.

For myself, I am conscious of which inter-mixtures create the Bi Colors I am looking for, and I mix them directly on the palette as I paint. This is especially true for the landscape. This has come from years of practice. I imagine Henri did the same thing, as he was highly skilled. But if I am working within a specific chord, I will then tube my Bi Colors and Hues for this particular image. Find the method that gives you confidence in the act of painting.

I am including my recent Instagram video discussing the Bi colors and how to proceed to mix them accurately.

Developing the Bi Colors

Judith Reeve, Maple, Snowfall, 12 x 9, oil on board.

In my book “The Color Investigations of Robert Henri,” I explore the Bi Colors in Chapter 7, Expansion of the Spectrum Palette. Henri expressed in his notebooks that the Bi Colors are the most important because they are the ones you use most often in representational painting. These 15 Bi Colors [found in Vol. 1, p. 49] fall between the root notes of the Full Spectrum Palette at the highest intensity and those of the 6 Hues, which are colors that approach a neutral while still maintaining a dominant color. So the Bi Colors are semi-neutrals containing a portion of a complementary pair.

If we take, for example, RO Bi made from R + YG, one can observe that the complementary pair of R andG neutralize this mixture, creating a RO that is lower in intensity. But the R and Y still dominate, maintaining the RO color. If we reflect on this mixture in another way, we can observe that the YG is a near-complement to the R, just next to the direct complement G on a chromatic circle. Not all the Bi Colors follow near-complementary relationships. But what is always expressed is a dominant color that is semi-neutralized through a complementary pair.

Judith Reeve, The Bi Colors, The Color Investigations of Robert Henri, Volume 1, p. 49.

The R-Y-B Bi Colors follow a color’s scale. R Bi is made with VR + RO. These colors immediately surround R on the Full Spectrum and therefore have a strong R component in their mix. The R residing in both the VR and RO. The B in the VR and the O in the RO form a complementary pair that semi-neutralizes the mixture. Note that there are no secondary Bi Colors. Both Henri and Maratta felt that they were unnecessary. And once you mix the Bi Colors, you can see that the secondary combinations come very close in hue to their neighbors.

The easiest way to mix the Bi Colors is to start with the primary Bi Colors, then move on to the tertiary Bi Colors. Leave the quaternary Bi Colors [such as VRR] for last, as these combinations are very subtle and need to be placed between their primary and tertiary partners. If your Full Spectrum Palette is balanced- all complementary pairs neutralize one another- then the mixing of the Bi Colors is pretty straightforward. Just follow the list I provide on p. 49. Note that although, I am providing a list of the Bi Colors, these Bi Colors can be made with other combinations of colors. An example would be an elaboration of a Major or Minor Chord. A Chord is its own set limitation and the Bi Colors, in this case, must be composed of some combination of the root notes of the Chord. If I compare the Bi Colors in the list with those that are mixed within a Chord, I will find that they are closely related in color and tone, but may have been mixed from other combinations. But note, they are clearly related.

Last week, during one of the many snowfalls that we have had in the Catskills this winter, I painted my neighbor’s maple tree. In this study, I used the Bi Colors almost entirely. I did dip down into the B, R and Y Hue and up into the BV color of the top line of the Full Spectrum. But the main combinations came from the Bi Color line. I used the GBB, BBV, BV, and the VR extensively. I also used the RRO for the warm tones in the sky and the snow. I used the Y and R Hue for the grasses and the BV + White [from the top line of root colors] for the snow sitting on the large branches. Observe that with some combinations, such as VR, GB + R, I allowed that combination to sit side by side on the left trunk rather than completely mix them together. The choice of application is up to the painter.

What I find intensely gratifying about the Bi Colors is that they are less definable and more subtle than using the root colors from the top line. They are beautifully harmonized, and they take less mixing- I can grab a Bi Color and add some white, and I am there, without excessive mixing or deliberating my choice. The Bi Colors are exquisite, having a jewel-like quality; the difference between B Bi and BBV Bi is a soft shift in tone and color temperature. The more I’ve worked with the Bi Colors, the more tuned my color perception has become.

I hope you can increase the color quality of your tones by experimenting with these Bi Colors. You will not be disappointed!

The Color Investigations of Robert Henri, Vols. 1 & 2

Those of you who pre-ordered the books from Amazon have recently been notified that they will be shipped out soon. I have heard this from artists, not from Amazon [who reveals nothing]. If you ordered the book many weeks ago, you may receive a notification asking you to confirm that you still want it. Make sure you confirm your purchase so you get in the queue.

If you have not ordered the book and wish to do so, the publisher, Book Baby, ships it within a week. Click the link on the sidebar to go to the store.

Thanks again for your patience! If you have any questions about anything in the book, just reach out and I will be happy to help you.

Thanks