"Manganese Blue/Forest Light" and "Wishbone"

Started two new panels on top of some I had abandoned several years ago.  The bases served to stimulate new forms.  Still formative and incomplete but I like the light and abstract association to forest light in the larger of the two and the floating elements in the second.  The second, which carries the working title of Wishbone, is still very much subject to major revisions.

Manganese Blue/Forest Light, acrylic on canvas with charcoal,
2013, 42" x 60"

Wishbone, 2013, acrylic on canvas with charcoal.  24" x 28".

Note: true Manganese Blue has been discontinued from most paint manufacturer's product lines due to environmental concerns and toxic by-products.   I quote from the Golden Paint Co.'s data sheets:
Pigment History: Manganese Blue is a synthetic green-blue pigment made by fixing barium manganate on a barium sulfate base. Manganese Blue was favored by fresco painters and artisans interested in tinting cement. However, it was found to be highly toxic and ingestion or inhalation could cause a nervous system disorder. A difficult pigment to match, the inherent transparency of true Manganese Blue can only be re-created by using Zinc White to lighten the Phthalo blend’s value, then extending it further with a large dose of gel medium. The resulting glaze-like paint yields cool soft fields of color.