Color is probably the single most exciting part of oil painting. It is truly amazing how an
artist can take a two dimensional surface and create the illusion of depth and distance
using color. To accurately depict a three dimensional scene using color requires much
practice and an understanding of color theory and how to mix colors.

The basics of color are value, hue, saturation and temperature. The value of a color is how light or dark it is.
The hue refers to the color itself as it appears on the spectrum of colors. The saturation
is the strength or purity of the color. The temperature of a color is how cool or warm a
color is.

For instance a cool color is blue and a warm is red. Artists can use temperature
to give the illusion of distance. Cooler colors tend to recede into the distance, as in a
distant mountain range, and warmer colors tend to advance closer toward the front of a
picture.

Color theory is a very broad topic, one that deserves more thorough attention.