Irby Brown: Studio Aspens

To capture his lovely style of painting and pass on his wealth of knowledge to new generations, Irby has filmed a video of one of his beautiful snow scenes found in the American West. Deep in the forest, fallen tree logs provide beautiful compositions of the abstract shapes nature offers us each day, and gives the artist painting fodder for a lifetime. Irby takes this scene and make it into an unforgettable tableau that one can view and appreciate every day of the year. One of the most interesting aspects about this video is the portion that he devotes to explaining his palette, the harmonies it offers, and how to manipulate it to achieve the effect that the painter strives for. Snow scenes can be challenging in that they inherently offer a subtle, placid area for the viewer to linger and enjoy. But, controlling the color on the palette may present problems to the painter to keep the harmonies in the calm, subtle range. Irby's explanation of how to control your palette is worth the price of the video alone, and a wonderful demonstration of how to use a limited palette to your advantage.