"Patient Reflections", Oil on canvas, 24 x 36".

A good friend took the photo of the lily pads at a botanical garden and graciously gave permission for me to use it as reference material. For this painting I am using four colors; Cadmium Yellow Medium, Alizarin Permanent, Thalo Green, and Prussian Blue, plus a Zinc/Titanium mixture. My black of choice is made by mixingThalo G and Alizarin together. From there I am mixing plies of Gray by adding my mixing white, then warming them with yellow or Aliz. I have mixed a pile of Yellow Ochre by mixing a ratio of 3 parts Cad Yel Med, 1-1/2 parts Alizarin, and 1/2 part Prussian blue, then adjusting as necessary to achieve the color I want. My greens are made by mixing the Ochre with Prussian blue, then graying if needed by adding either a cool or warm gray. Using a limited palette is challenging and rewarding. I am using my favorite Chiaroscuro technique (which means "Light from teh Darkness") whereby I make the painting quite dark and the focal point very light. Rembrandt and Frazetta used this technique to great effect.