Mother Color

[Enyaw]

11 x 14 inches .. oil on paper .. alla prima .. painted June 17/24
So here is how it went. Below is the reference photo used to create the painting.

... a little line sketch on the paper I paint on .. XL Acrylic and Oil Pad

Initial Palette ..

Finished Palette .. As you can see the initial primaries were greatly altered .. a band of pure above the paint piles to show the difference in colour.

Explanation of the works.
Three initial colors were Ultramarine Blue, Cad Lemon Yellow, Cad Scarlet Red, and of course, Titanium White and Lamp Black
* I might add that I use Winton so the yellow and red were hues. It does not matter to me as I am not selling and if I sold it would only matter if I were digging into 4 figures again. As well, for the way I paint, the purity is not an issue. I think it would be an issue for glazing and ultra high zing of the paint but again I use cold wax to matte the paint so that matter is put to bed as well. Not to mention, I am a basement artist.

Anyway, I mixed in a mother color made from scraps of paint left over from the prior painting. It's sort of a member of the red family.
From there I made the painting using the colors I deemed appropriate for the piece. Less time painting, more time preparing the paint.
I mixed down the secondaries and adjusted my black (which I did not adjust properly: it was too dark). I left the white and black untouched as I use them for adjusting my color where needed as in highlites and a dark dark. The painting went well with only one area needing a wiping and adjustment and of course I need to correct my take on the bottle as it was out of shape. I might add that the amout of mother color does not matter as long as you put in all your colors. As well, here is a clickable link to a video below eplaining mother color.

Mother Color As Explained By Another Artist

 

[Artyczar]

So interesting. The information is all new to me. I don't know this much about painting. Makes me feel like I need to quit and go to school. I have no idea what I'm doing. I am doing everything from instinct and should pay more attention to WHAT I do. Maybe I have a little something to offer in terms of "showing," but I doubt it. But you sure have me thinking! All I know is that it turned out dynamic because of the fade to dark as the composition moves to the right. Love the palette.

 

[Donna T]

There’s something about this method that makes the finished piece look so sophisticated with those wonderful color harmonies. Thanks for showing your steps, Wayne, it’s very helpful. Thanks for the video too. I’ve seen a few others by that artist and think it’s interesting that this method works well for abstracts as well as representational work. Even if you’re an abstract expressionist squeezing paint directly on the canvas a little harmony between the colors might just strengthen the whole piece.

 

[Enyaw]

Thank you Ayin. Instinct is great. Anything you learn after instinct is reinforced with your insight. You are just a step ahead. As for the fade that is just a natural progression of light and sometimes as an artist one must emphazize it a little or lot more.

Thank you Donna. Yes, harmony is a good thing. You are welcome as I am only sharing what I found along the way through books or internet. Personally I don’t know why I didn’t use my own color schemes before as it really is fun to plan and implement instead of copying. Value rules the day.