Monday, March 29, 2010

Something lacking


 

I've been thinking and reading about oil painting, and over the past few days I've come to a tentative conclusion about my palette: it is missing a color.

 

For twenty years I have felt something amiss in my paintings. It has been nagging me inconsistently. I think I picked up some form of faulty advice or slightly skewed mindset sometime when I was in college, and this has negatively affected my painting.

 

I need to add black to my palette.  I have mixed my own blacks when I felt it necessary, sure, but I have never used tubed black for anything in oil painting.  Now, though, I think it would help me explore more color subtlety.

 

2 comments:

  1. Finally, after all these years you bring an end to oil paint apartheid. Proud of you brother.

    How does black help with color subtlety, if you don't mind me asking?

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  2. Hey, Jacuhcuh. Mixing in some true neutral color (black) would tone down the color intensity (chroma). I think I've had problems with that.

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I'm eager to hear your thoughts!