Pearl's Eyes

8 x8 oil on panel.

Pearl, above, is a study in greys from my limited palette. Her eyes are the only "saturated" color in the painting. 

For many years I've used a very limited color palette - a warm and cool of each primary (red, yellow, blue)  plus white. I've added a couple of earth colors (yellow ochre and burnt sienna or transparent oxide red) because they make color mixing more efficient, especially when painting outdoors when you need to paint quickly, before the light changes. From a limited palette, you can generally mix any color you need, and it's a great way to learn about color. But since I'm experimenting with new subjects and surfaces, I've decided to start really mixing things up and adding some new colors to my palette - maybe even some colors that have no place in the "real" world. Change is gonna come....

See at Daily Paintworks