Melancholy.

                  Mud Melancholy   Oils on canvas board   5 x 7 inches   


            Mud flats, ebb tide, reflections and imagination.  One hour of pure enjoyment.

Studio Musings...

At the end of a painting session there is nothing more enjoyable for me than using up the oils with a small study as a painting exercise.  If that piece goes on to bring more enjoyment to viewers then I am doubly satisfied.  

 The colours in this piece are the same as my previous larger painting 'Marsh and Mud Flats' posted last Thursday.  Phthalo Blue, Permanent Rose and Hansa Yellow plus Titanium White...with maybe a thin scraping of Burnt Sienna nearly dried up on the palette.

When I first began painting I was tempted to buy lots of colours and had the joy of a child in a sweet shop.  My box was stuffed with them and brushes of all shapes and sizes.   After a while I realised for my Lincolnshire landscapes it wasn't necessary for me to go beyond a limited palette of Titanium White with 2 blues, 2 reds and 2 yellows (warm and cool). 

 As I experimented I found I could mix everything I really needed.  It is my own personal preference I hasten to add...other painters may have a totally different choice.

  I do keep a few other colours in reserve so I can vary my palette or add to it. 

 Often the painting guides me as I work.   I am not rigid with set rules.