Very limited palette

[Tom Edgerton]

I took a workshop with Shane Neal last spring, and one exercise was to paint from life with five colors: white, ultramarine blue, cad yellow medium (I think), cad red light, and alizarin crimson. Not just the skin tones, but the whole painting. My model had near black hair, and after some brief struggle, I even got a deep black with the same colors. I didn't find it any more daunting than painting with my usual palette.

As you might guess, my result was much fresher, less labored and really satisfying to have done, more so than a subsequent painting of the same model and lighting with the fuller palette. It really opened my eyes.

I'm beginning to think that the curse of living in our society and our time is the curse of too much choice.

(But I still wouldn't want to grind them.)

Best--TE