Simplified Palette, artist journal Oct 6, 2019

I have spent three days with a canvas that started off with interruptions. Needless to say the rough start has caused struggles. I love the canvas itself (canvas stretched on board) and the composition. My stubbornness was not going to allow me to give up on it. A fresh start is always easier for a painter. This canvas still on my easel has surprised me in ways I would not have known had I just started over. I have always depended on fluid fresh paint and think twice before covering up my drawings. There is a collection around the house of such drawings. They are there to remind me that my drawings should not take more than 10-15 minutes. What I see in those moments is unique to that moment. I might remember what I was thinking but sometimes I must say, what was I thinking? That is the case with this canvas. I lost my subconscious calculations and flow of the first 15 minutes and it added hours to the painting.

The colors I have been painting with this last month have been wonderful. On this particular canvas I started with Payne’s grey, quin violet, perelyne red, permanent orange. Zinc white and titanium white are being used. I never cared much for zinc white before but I think now I get it's purpose. As I struggled with my drawing and then changed my mind again and again, I needed another color to help me see. I added Venetian red, PR 102. I have been using my new favorite red, PR 101, but running a bit low. Since I have become so familiar with PR 101, I thought I might understand 102 better. PR102 is very infective on the brush. It wont go away easily and mixing it into my Payne’s grey makes a warm murk verses the cool deep purple I get with quin violet. I hate having to be careful with my brushes but in this case PR 102 comes to the rescue. It adds depth to my Pinque coat. As I looked for a softer background and some toned highlights I grabbed some phthalo blue off another palette. It's a wonderful addition to the tack on a dark horse on a foggy morning in the huntfield. Phthalo blue was only added in my last canvas start. Up until this week I left blue off my palette. Finally on Friday the temperatures dropped. We went from 90s to 60s overnight.

Today was to be my finish day on this canvas. Maybe that is still possible. I will be teaching at the sporting library this afternoon for my dear friend Barbara. The new show opened Friday, 'Leading the Field, Ellen Emmet Rand'. One falls in love with her paintings on first impression. Her work ethic was obsessive yet balanced with a strong family and country life. I would have enjoyed painting with her.