In my painting group, we have been talking about color theory in depth. It has been refreshing and grounding to return to the fundamentals of color. Last night after work, I entered the studio. Rather than dive into a painting, I started by pre-mixing 5 tints (color + white ) and 5 shades (color + black) with a cool and warm version of yellow, red, and blue. The frustrations that I had kept with me from work began to melt as I focused on this straightforward task of mixing colors. After some time, I had a full palette with rows of colors moving from light to dark. I decided to take a small old panel and experiment with a palette knife rather than a brush. What you see above is the result. Pre-mixing colors opened up a new way of working for me. The painting itself became secondary. Mixing colors helped set my mind up for success. As I mixed, I found myself surprised by unexpected results held within color combinations I rarely mix. Usually, I paint intuitively in the moment, mixing colors as I go. Pre-mixing all of the colors ahead of time was new to me. The value in it was that it laid a solid foundation for me to pull from once I began to paint. The rhythmic and systematic process of mixing also slowed and focused my mind. This may be it's greatest value as the mixing of color becoming secondary to the value of slowing down my mind.
A few weeks ago, I was struggling to find my ground in the studio. I stopped to write all that was getting in my way of painting. I wrote about feeling at a loss when I stood in front of a canvas. The feeling I had was that I no longer knew how to paint. Moving colors across the surface, yet missing the spark that brings a painting to life. It was a moment of recognizing the free fall I have felt creatively, not being able to access what once came so clearly to me in painting. Searching for some anchors, all I could find were two words - color and grief. Once those two words appeared on the page, I stopped. I realized that was enough of a start. Those two words were a foot hold. But it wasn't until yesterday that I began to understand the potential of working with color. Yes, color is foundational to painting. When I wrote color + grief, I thought of color as something I view. But yesterday, preparing my palette taught me that mixing color is foundational to working with my mind. It provided evidence of how craft and working with the hands is wise. It is knowledge. And it has to be earned through doing.
Until next Friday!
Be well, breathe, read, and make some art!
Jen