Speak to me about yellow. . . .

[Alexandra Tyng]

Hi Richard,

I am very aware that raw umber is considered a yellow, but for the life of me I do not understand why. Maybe if you compare it to burnt umber, or burnt siena, it's less red, but I think classifying it as a yellow is just a way of forcing it into a category instead of appreciating it for what it is: a cool earth tone.

I tried some mixtures along the lines of what you describe, and I think it is the yellow ochre mixed with the red that is creating the orange, while the raw umber is creating the dullness. By itself, mixed with just white, raw umber is a warm neutral, or a cool brown-grey.

Alex