Branching Out

Branching Out

8x8"

oil on panel
private collection

On my second day at Emma Lake Kenderdine Campus I decided to use my 8x8 boards again and experiment with the tree top idea that has been swirling around in my head since I painted "Looking Up" and "Against The Sky". I decided to use oils in a limited palette which helped to keep my plein air supplies nice and light. I also borrowed some walnut alkyd from a good friend (thanks Deb!) with the hopes that the paint would dry more quickly... it did! I decided to stay around the main campus area so that I could easily take my boards back to the studio when they were complete. I painted four boards that day using only Cadmium Yellow Light, Phthalo Blue, Yellow Ochre, Crimson and Titanium White. At first I had not included Yellow Ochre, but as I began painting I felt like I couldn't get all of the greens and browns I wanted, so I added it. I have to say that I had virtually never used Yellow Ochre until this spring and it has fast become one of my favorite colours! I especially love it in oil paint.

I have to give a shout out to Don Michael Jr. and TJ Lynde for encouraging me to experiment with a limited number of paints on my palette. I still have plenty to learn and it was fantastic to spend an entire day focusing on this exercise. As it turns out, I think I actually use a more limited palette than I realized. Yes, I have plenty of colours to choose from in my box, but when I lay my palette out I pick and choose the blues I want, the yellows, reds etc. Once I get painting often I don't even end up using all of the colours I have squeezed out. I think I will challenge myself with a limited palette again because I think it encourages mixing and experimenting, but I am not going to beat myself up on the days when I want to squeeze out 10 or 12 colours.