A bigger picture, a bigger palette

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Carrier and two supports

 

A bigger palette

B i g g e r !

I'm moving up again. I've primed these two cards with acrylic gesso. They are 34 x 32 cm: I hope to use these on my upcoming trip. Usually I paint my carriers, and perhaps I'll do that when I get back.

 

I've been gradually moving up for a couple of years: a bigger size allows more brush stroke variety and a fuller engagement with colour. it's nice to feel able to move around, to breathe.

 

 There are storage issues with unsold paintings, however, and of course transporting big pictures is much harder.

I'm using a bigger palette too.

 

A common mistake among beginners is to use those traditional wooden kidney shaped palettes: these are elegant but they don't allow much space to spread the paints out and mix colours. Additionally there is the constant problem of one colour polluting the rest. And, they are surprisingly heavy.

 

 Instead, I use these pieces of old cards from grocery boxes which I clip to a larger piece of cardboard. The printed sides  don't absorb too much oil- though I can use the unprinted reverses if I want a less liquid paint. I can unclip a card and put a fresh one down if I need a clean area for mixing fresh colour. I can close the larger cardboard and transport it without making a mess- something that is difficult to do with the wooden palettes.

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Guarda do Embaú, with distant hills behind; working outside -palette

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Guarda do Embaú, with hills in the distance, oil on card, 18 x 22 cm Sold

This painting is available on Saacchi Art

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Palettes

Working outside forces one to use easily portable equipment, and that includes palettes. This forces one to be very clear about what colour range one intends to use. 

I mix the basic colours in advance then adapt them where necessary as I work on the painting. It`s delightful to see how the colours open out when mixed with white. It`s similar to the way in which, when cooking, spices reveal their scents when you put them into hot oil.

Of course,  at times one mixes a set of colours and then during the working of the painting realises that another colouristic approach would be better. Live and learn!

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My portable palette

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Like the pochade carriers, the palettes close so they can be transported without making a mess.

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