Frederick Heidel's method based on a color hue observation

Frederick Heidel was one of my art instructors at Portland State University in the the early 60's. His observation on color was that colors of about the same range of darkness placed together on a painting relate to one another in lively interactions.  Form and depth can be created without dark to light drawing.

I  am exploring his process of making somewhat of a grid, playing with color not as a chart but in a non-academic way, allowing a feeling to lead my way.  Soon these non-objective paintings take on shapes that suggest something familiar to people.  Such is the case in this full sheet watercolor, "Playful, Cad Red to Viridian.

Experiencing spring color through watercolor painting

The top painting is Kona, Hawaii color. The framed painting is Fredrick Heidel's, my instructor in 1962. The other paintings are about what I see from my window. Like my first assignment for oil painting, I feel wonderfully involved just looking outdoors and trying out the colors on my paper to see which colors please me.  As he taught, the colors are loosely on a grid. Frederich Heidel said, "Do not make academic exercises."  So I am in the process of seeing how the colors not only look but also work together in an expressive way.