Paint Diet

Dance Music, 40 x 30 - warm and cool color

I have found that it is vexing to many workshop participants to limit their colors - whether to six pigments, a warm and cool of each primary, or even worse to some,  MY everyday palette:
Cadmium Lemon, Cadmium Red Medium, and Ultramarine Blue, plus white.    

Yet, using a limited palette:

1.   Simplifies one's life, especially when traveling.
2.   Automatically creates color harmony, since all colors are derived from the basic three.
3.   Aids in understanding the Warm/Cool dynamic.
4.   And best of all, we can create some very subtle and sophisticated colors!

Any limited palette DOES, however, mean lots of time mixing...but it means less time buying and squeezing out paint too.  Also, my personal tendency is to throw anything on my palette into the pile, which is a likely path to mud. 

To me, the pros are worth the tradeoffs, but each of us has to utimately find her own sweet spot.  
  
After my workshop two weeks ago, however, I rediscovered true appreciation of the Paint Diet, as its benefits unfolded before my eyes in the wonderful work each participant created (wish I had more images to share).

Below are some of my recent pieces, along with two by Kathleen Smithson, who has come to

embrace the potential of "limits," (offering Unlimited Potential).

 Beach Girl, 18 x 14 - mostly warm color

 Remembering Alaska, 36 x 36 - cool and muted color

Pattern Dance, 30 x 30,  strong and subtle, high-contrast color

Below are two paintings by workshop friend, Kathleen Smithson, who told me she has been on the  PAINT DIET for a year!  Look at the colors she achieves... 

(and again, I regret only having two out of SO many nice paintings done at my last workshop hosted by Jeanne Matey at Soulful Art Studio in Cumming, GA).

 Smithson, Spring Ideas,  45-minute workshop study

 Smithson, Light on Roses,  60-minute workshop study

So, why not practice with a simple set-up and just a few colors?

Warm Up, 9 x 12

  Slim Down and Have some Fun - try the 

PAINT DIET ;-)