A limited Color Palette

Remembering the academic training years leads me to remember the countless exercises with the chromatic circle and all its variables for both shades and tonal value. Personally, I have always had to keep an alert mind when managing colors, for I am not one of those people who manage to do it in an intuitive way; I have always thought that color, as well as music, allows us to reach the maximum potential of our capacities in exchange of many years of being committed to our creative work; to a large extent, I feel like a musician without a score since I feel more comfortable when based on the chromatic circle. It is usual of me to get sidetracked in color management and I end up taking the color in my palette to where I did not really pretend, which is why I prefer to get assistance from formulas and notes that I generate in order to have more control over colors in my work.

At start, it seemed very normal to me to think that, by having more paint tubes I could have more possibilities; I even used the paint straight from the tube many times.

Simply, when I entered an art store and was immersed into all the color tube options I ended up buying those that had the most ostentatious names, such as ‘Auereolin Yellow’ or ‘Quinocradone Rose’; I really thought I could get more and better chromatic answers with colors that had elegance in their names.

The day came, when I finally decided to research and study the technique of ‘the limited color palette’, which invites us to resort and continuously exercise our knowledge; as done by every grand master, through which each and every one of them defined their own palette based on what their work dictated them.

In the case of #nono, I decided to use these five colors on my limited color palette: ultramarine, toasted sienna, titanium white, permanent rose, and cadmium yellow.

In the beginning, I was intimidated but, as I started practicing and getting based on the chromatic circle, I discovered a sensation similar to ‘when, as a kid, you see a magic trick’, and, as the formulas revealed themselves before me, I wrote them in my notebook until a more natural and intuitive exercise made its way to me; therefore, we can say that color is the ‘special’ ingredient that will impregnate, through its management, a more emotional connection in the conversation with our work, providing a resizing to our work to such an extent that painting will result in increasingly intimate and satisfactory moments.

I always keep present that I paint to learn how to do it, hence, I feel immerse in a constant search for answers where, in a large extent, I am never truly satisfied with the results, which is why learning how to paint is like walking to the horizon: for every step you take, it will move away the same distance.

Nowadays, I continue working to find more efficient ways, waste less paint, elaborate colors less, but, above all else, to not lose mislay myself and control the color to where I wanna take it and not randomly receive ranges that look interesting; which is why controlling color is fundamental and the reward will be the conceived decrease in frustrations, as well as the achievement of more balance and harmony.

Once again, thank you for letting me share with you a little of what it is to go through the #art path. Hugs, until our next chat.