Watch Intro Video

The Language of Color

Knowledge + Craft = Freedom

Are you...?

  • Confused when using color?

  • Looking to expand your color palette?

  • Overwhelmed by too many color choices?

  • Done buying dozens of tubes of paint?

  • Struggling to mix that beautiful color you once made?

  • Trying to mix a color and ending up with “mud”?

  • Needing to understand color but leery of dry, boring color theory?

  • Seeking to create harmony in your artwork?

We’re so glad you are here!

“The most important act in the creative process is the act of discovery. 

Inherent in the act of discovery is the notion of adventure.Traveling into unknown territory. Not knowing every turn of the path. Getting lost. Finding one’s way through the thicket. Taking risks to the point of failure. Exercising patience in order to come back home.” - Mark Eanes



What you’ll learn

...or what this course can help you with:

  • Mastering color

    Understanding color, the color wheel and color relationships will allow you to master your palette.

  • Feeling confident

    Learning how to mix thousands of colors using a very limited palette. Know exactly what you can achieve (or not) by using certain colors.

  • Learning to see

    Discerning colors, their hues, value and saturation, will enrich and deepen your vocabulary and expressive voice.

  • Developing strategies

    Learning a variety of strategies to assist you in creating harmonious orchestrations of color.

  • Having fun!

    Knowledge and understanding can diminish your frustration and open the doors for exploration and joy.

Course curriculum

Six weeks of self-paced materials

  • 1

    Week 1 - Let’s dive in - Prismatic Colors

    • Welcome to the Workshop

    • Tools and Materials

      FREE PREVIEW
    • Let’s begin - Color Wheels and Basic Vocabulary

    • Demo - Mixing Prismatic Oranges

    • Demo - Mixing Prismatic Greens

    • Demo - Mixing Prismatic Violets

    • Make your own Prismatic Color Wheel

    • Discussion - Let’s Sum it Up

    • Slide show -The lineage of Art

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 2

    Week 2 - Diving deeper -Understanding Co-Primary Colors

    • Lecture / Demo - Diving deeper into the Oranges and Greens

    • Demo - Mixing less saturated violets

    • Make your second Color Wheel

    • Discussion - Let’s sum it up

    • Podcast - Process over Product

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 3

    Week 3 - Broadening the horizon - Muted Colors & Chromatic Grays

    • Lecture - Understanding the difference between Muted Hues and Chromatic Grays

    • Demo - Creating a value scale

    • Demo - Adding White and Black

    • Discussion - Let’s sum it up

    • Slide show - The lineage of Art

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 4

    Week 4 - What is “mud” but a wonderful array of Grays...

    • Lecture - Learning to see and appreciate the world of Grays

    • Demo - Adjusting value ranges of color with grays

    • Demo - Experimenting with Achromatic Grays

    • Demo - Loving the “Mud”

    • Discussion - Let’s sum it up

    • Podcast - The nature of Fear

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 5

    Week 5 - A Wondrous Discovery - Complementary Colors

    • Lecture - What are Complementary Colors

    • Demo - Secondary orange to blue

    • Demo - Yellow Orange to Blue

    • Demo - Red Orange to Blue

    • Demo - Yellow/Violet split complement

    • Discussion - Let’s sum it up

    • Slide Show - The lineage of Art

    • Live Q&A Session

    • The three Split Complements Charts

  • 6

    Week 6 - And suddenly, everything became clear...

    • Lecture / Demo - Random Mixing

    • Demo - Creating your library of Color

    • Lecture - Strategies for Color harmony

    • Demo - It’s all about relationships

    • Slide show / Demo - It’s all about relationships (extended)

    • Slide show - Color outside the frame

    • Discussion - Let’s sum it up

    • Closing Statement

    • Live Q&A Session

  • 7

    A little something Extra

Instructors

Professor Emeritus

Mark Eanes

Mark Eanes is a painter, printmaker, photographer, curator, and educator who has spent the last fifty years as a dedicated and devoted artist. He lives and works in his studio in Richmond, Virginia. Mark is a Professor Emeritus from the California College of the Arts (CCA), where he has taught for over thirty years. Mark has also taught at numerous art institutes such as San Francisco State, CalArts, Dominican College, to name a few. Mark has shown his paintings throughout California where he lived for over fifty years, as well as nationally and internationally. He has had solo exhibitions at the Parsons School of Design in Paris, the Triton Museum in Santa Clara, the Patricia Sweetow and Michael Dunev Galleries in San Francisco, the Fairfield Center for the Arts, Dominican College in San Rafael, the Mill Valley Arts Commission Gallery, and the Hanford Center for the Arts. Mark’s works have been included in selected exhibitions at the Applied Arts Museum in Belgrade, Serbia, the San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art’s artist gallery, the Etra Gallery in Miami, the Ruth Bachofner Gallery in Los Angeles, the Cumberland gallery in Nashville, and the San Paulo Biennale, among many others.

Assistant Instructor

Marija Eanes

Marija obtained her BA (Hons.) in the Applied Arts and Restoration of Works of Art, at the University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. She is the co-creator of the online courses, assists Mark with the technical aspects of teaching online, and is happy to play the role of the student and give voice to any questions you might have for Mark.

Student Reviews

5 star rating

Exceptional!

Rena Diana

Perfectly paced, structured and presented. Mark, you have an extraordinary capacity to distill complicated, sophisticated concepts. I am enjoying incorporati...

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Perfectly paced, structured and presented. Mark, you have an extraordinary capacity to distill complicated, sophisticated concepts. I am enjoying incorporating the dynamics of color mixing into my art- with intention. There is endless more to learn , and that excites me! As a lover of art history, I especially appreciate the way you weave a broad selection of artists, styles and examples of paintings into your teaching. It is a post-graduate level course! -Marija, you add so much light and grace to this experience. Your demonstrations, your questions, your commentary were all key components to me. Clearly you possess an inquiring mind, a keen eye, courage, warmth and honesty. All these qualities added immensely to my enjoyment and understanding in this demanding, comprehensive course. I took LOD first, then got around to LOC just now (fall 2022), and I will definitely go back and take them again. My notes are practically a textbook! Many, many thanks for the enrichment and enlightenment. I hope to meet you both in person someday. (Yoga/Painting Retreat?!) And, by the way, that last bit with the bloopers had me laughing aloud! Onward!

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5 star rating

Eye opening

Kersteen Anderson

I've learned that after years of painting in the built environment and the decorative realm, I had never learned these basics. This is empowering on so many...

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I've learned that after years of painting in the built environment and the decorative realm, I had never learned these basics. This is empowering on so many levels, thank you!

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5 star rating

Provides incredible insight

Gabrielle Tierney

I have loved every minute of this course, even my mistakes. It has provided insight into many aspects of art whether it is color theory, technique or histori...

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I have loved every minute of this course, even my mistakes. It has provided insight into many aspects of art whether it is color theory, technique or historical perspective. I love the videos at the end of each lesson. Mark and Marija have taken such great care at producing multifaceted, clear and valuable lessons. Thank you so much.

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5 star rating

LOVED all of it!

Tyra Gilb

What a journey this was. From getting familiar with new materials, to learning to see color and think about it in a different way, it was a huge learning exp...

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What a journey this was. From getting familiar with new materials, to learning to see color and think about it in a different way, it was a huge learning experience for me. I especially enjoyed the slide shows with commentary, where we were shown how other artists have used certain kinds of color relationships, taking our lessons into real world applications. The organization of this course and the demonstrations were superb. I hope to return to these lessons in the future and repeat the course from time to time, as there are always new color choices to mix, and more to absorb and learn. Highly recommend this for all students who want to take a serious look into color.

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5 star rating

Wowzer

Kathy Kimball

what a wonderful, comprehensive class. So much incredible information and support in creating a better understanding of the use of color.

what a wonderful, comprehensive class. So much incredible information and support in creating a better understanding of the use of color.

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5 star rating

Language of color

marilyn whilden

This is the best class I’ve ever taken In art period. The teacher was clear making a subject that has been confusing for me in the past so much clearer to un...

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This is the best class I’ve ever taken In art period. The teacher was clear making a subject that has been confusing for me in the past so much clearer to understand. Maria adds a lot to the team together they have helped Improved not only the way I see color in every day life but as an artist.I can only imagine how good the design part will be.

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5 star rating

When this student was ready, an amazing teacher appeared

Paulina Ladreyt

How lucky I am to participate in this course - thank you! After week one, I have already learned a great deal and curious about how future experiments with c...

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How lucky I am to participate in this course - thank you! After week one, I have already learned a great deal and curious about how future experiments with color will turn out.

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5 star rating

Color have it's feeling, language and expression.

Lanawati Morton

So happy I join this course. Both of you are so compassionate in doing this course. Thank you. I like that I can work on my own time. The explanation is very...

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So happy I join this course. Both of you are so compassionate in doing this course. Thank you. I like that I can work on my own time. The explanation is very thorough and easy to understand. ( English is my second language ). Will definitely recommend to friends and family, or anybody who wish to learn about color.

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5 star rating

Wow! This class instantly improved my use of color!

Debra Coleman

In this class, Mark teaches color mixing and the use of color that you just can't get out of a book. He breaks it down and simplifies the concepts, so that t...

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In this class, Mark teaches color mixing and the use of color that you just can't get out of a book. He breaks it down and simplifies the concepts, so that they can be used in a variety of ways. If you have ever struggled with Color or Color Theory books, then this class is for you. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see immediate improvement in their art. Thank you Mark and Marija!

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5 star rating

Deep experiential learning

Margaret Lacey

This course takes gentle steps to understanding complex theories. It does not get bogged down but applies the theory to practice. Things that always puzzled ...

Read More

This course takes gentle steps to understanding complex theories. It does not get bogged down but applies the theory to practice. Things that always puzzled me have become clear and I feel more in control of my colour mixing. Mark’s slide shows are stimulating and refreshing for the range of artists they include. I love the self paced nature of the program. I can do binge learning or go back and watch the kernel bits again.

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FAQ

  • When can I enroll?

    This course is all pre-recorded and self-paced so you can join whenever you want.

  • When does my course expire?

    Relax and take your time - this is the digital advantage. You have unlimited access to all the content.

  • How can I ask questions?

    You will find a discussion room attached to each content video. Mark personally answers all the written questions submitted through the learning platform. Marija is there if you need any technical support.

  • Is there a Facebook group related to this course?

    Yes, we created a closed group for participating artist only. You don’t have to join if you are not a fan of FB groups. However, if you want to share your work on social media and see what other participants are doing - the hashtag is #markeanesloc

  • Any other ways to connect?

    Yes! We periodically offer recorded LIVE Q&A sessions on Zoom, exclusively for our learning community. You can participate live or submit your questions beforehand and Mark will answer them even if you cannot attend the session. You will find your answer in the recording.

Knowledge + Craft = Freedom

With a little knowledge, the experience of doing will become richer and more satisfying, while creating space for the intuitive.

Language of Color

Start your journey today!