“If you will permit me to observe, I will say I think the lighting in your studio is too cold. I have found the same trouble and two years ago I painted or stained both my studio here and my summer one a rich red which had the effect of warming up my paint immediately. Why don’t you try it?” – A letter from Frederic Remington to wildlife painter Carl Rungius

Last week the museum hosted its annual Spring Break workshops for both children and tweens. During their visit, the students explored color theory and how color influences mood and story in artwork.

In the galleries, docents led the children on a journey through the West, observing how artists like Frederic Remington and George Catlin, who both went West in the 1800s, captured the great American frontier in paint. The students observed how the color of a composition can drastically change the tone and feeling of painting, whether it be the use of warm colors to portray a sweltering, hot desert or the application of cool colors to illustrate a nocturnal scene.

Back in the studio, after practicing color theories, each young artist had the opportunity to apply their newly-acquired knowledge by creating their own canvas painting.