Cadmium free and loving it.

[Joan Breckwoldt]

Marvin,

Hmm, I am slowing coming around in my journey to become a portrait artist to the Paxton palette. (Perhaps that brainwashing you mentioned in an earlier post somehow works through the computer?) I have taken meticulous notes about the Paxton palette and will give it a try. Also I'll find any books I can on Paxton himself. I am actually not unhappy using cads but I think that is only due to my ignorance of knowing what else to do. Thank you for posting so much information about this palette.

Sharon,

I tried to send you an e-mail yesterday using the e-mail address from your website but it got returned. (I'm sure it was technical problems on my end). Could you e-mail me and then I'll hit 'reply' in response to your e-mail? I'll be in R.I. in June and am interested in meeting you and seeing some of your work in person!

Joan
[email protected]

[Chris Saper]

Having just spent a week with Gary Hoff in Bill Whitaker's workshop, this is what I have learned about flake white and other lead products:

1. Bill says "Just don't spread it on your toast"

2. Gary says (he is BTW the Dean of Cardiology at his University) (oh, and by the way completely delightful guy) " I have never ever seen a case of adult lead poisoning."

Don't let your kids eat the stuff, and wash your hands before eating.

[Linda Brandon]

I had my friend the toxicologist-who-always-wanted-to-be-an-artist over at my studio a few weeks ago and he was of the same opinion as Dr. Gary... but my friend was horrified to discover that I walk around with my brushes stuck in my mouth most of the time. (Not the bristle ends, I'm not that absent-minded.) My use of Maroger probably increases my risk.

At his suggestion, I'm getting a base-level blood test for lead at my next physical. If I come out clean then the rest of you are probably clean, too.

Meanwhile, my parrot that sits on my shoulder while I paint recently did a spectacular belly-flop into my lead white on my hand held palette. I guess I'm using him as an early warning system, sort of a canary-in-the-coal-mine thing.

[Michele Rushworth]

Now, Linda, you HAVE to post a picture of you painting with a parrot on your shoulder. That, I gotta see!

[Linda Brandon]

I'm waiting for somebody to start a new thread under the "Studio" topic, titled "Studio Pets." I have a feeling that there's a lot of them out there.

[Jean Kelly]

Linda- I'll start it, I have a house full.

Jean

[Sharon Knettell]

Originally Posted by Linda Brandon

I had my friend the toxicologist-who-always-wanted-to-be-an-artist over at my studio a few weeks ago and he was of the same opinion as Dr. Gary... but my friend was horrified to discover that I walk around with my brushes stuck in my mouth most of the time. (Not the bristle ends, I'm not that absent-minded.) My use of Maroger probably increases my risk.

At his suggestion, I'm getting a base-level blood test for lead at my next physical. If I come out clean then the rest of you are probably clean, too.

Meanwhile, my parrot that sits on my shoulder while I paint recently did a spectacular belly-flop into my lead white on my hand held palette. I guess I'm using him as an early warning system, sort of a canary-in-the-coal-mine thing.

To say I nearly fell off my chair laughing is an understatement!

[Ken Smith]

I just read through this thread for the first time. Very interesting, and I'm looking forward to trying out the non-cadmium palette on my next piece.

One thing I didn't understand, when Marvin speaks of using neutral grays to reduce the chromatic intensity (rather than complements), what paint color is that exactly? I've seen a line of neutral grays in acrylic, but I don't recall seeing any in oil. Or is he just speaking of mixing black and white to make the various values of gray?

(Taking his workshop is on my list of things to do as soon as possible).

thanks in advance for the info.

[Tom Edgerton]

Ken--

Neutral gray in the generic sense, not a specific brand or color out of the tube. It's a mixing discussion, not a purchasing one.

You can gray down colors essentially two ways--mix them with their complement or mix them with gray. The gray can be mixed with black and white or any of a thousand other combinations of colors. A black and white mix will yield a rather cool gray, black and white being more or less both cool colors. On the other hand, you might want to mix a more warmish neutral gray into whatever color you're trying to gray down. Experimentation yields knowledge.

It's just that mixing a color with its complement will generally gray it down faster, and may yield a more sumptuous result.

I won't speak for Marvin, but when I want to gray down a color, I just look for a neutral gray that's somewhere on the palette already, with a warm or cool cast that I want, and grab some of that. Or I use the complement, as described above. In the case of Marvin's specific palette, he has a row of neutral grays already mixed in each of the ten values on his scale, made from raw umber, black and white. Obviously, I'm a lot sloppier and less disciplined.

If the value of the gray or complement being added is the same value as the color you're trying to neutralize, the value won't shift--an important idea for us tonalists.

Marvin, correct any of this you wish. Good to have seen you the other week.

Best--TE

[Allan Rahbek]

Hi Ken.

I am not Marvin, but here is my perception of the theme.

When painting portraits you work with very limited colors in the flesh tones. Instead of mixing Cadmium Yellow, Cadmium Red, Viridian and White, you simply use Venetian Red and Flake White. It is less hazardous, and therefore easier.

The Cadmiums are so strong that you will never need a color that strong. The earth colors are closer to what you actually need. That