As I teacher, I've been learning

Teaching art is interesting, in that you learn as much as (probably more than) you teach. There is a remarkable interplay between what you assign your students in the classroom and what you are doing in your own studio.

In my watercolor class this morning, the assignment was to paint four copies of Edward Weston's photograph of a"Pepper" -- one in a light value color, one in a dark value color, one using warm colors, and one using cool colors.

Since I didn't have an example to show the students of how to paint the warm color version, I decided to make one while they were working on the one-color interpretations. So I made this painting:



I thought it was interesting to realize that I had such ease in painting this example because I've been working with warm colors in my own paintings lately (latest work, shown below). Even though the subject matter and styles are different between the assignment and my latest series, the colors are the same, and the methods of creating three-dimensional illusions are the same!!