The Double Primaries Palette

 I am a plein-air (open-air) painter and usually find my "Painting Stations" while on bike. Consequently I need to travel lightly. I use a Guerrilla Painter ThumBox, a pochade box.  See the photo below:

Pochade box in action



Pochade box folded



I can carry only a minimal amount of tubes of paint. This compactness of the pochade box has led me in an ongoing search for the minimal amount of tubes of paint to take with me.

At first I tried a so-called Beginners, or Basic Palette which consisted of Thalo Green, Ultramarine Blue, Thalo Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Red Light, Yellow Ochre, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, and Titanium White. However that was 11 tubes of paint--too much; my little pochade box was packed!

Furthermore, I am a  fan of the Impressionists and wanted to paint in a Neo or Post-Impressionist manner.

So, I looked up Monet's palette and it is said that he used these colors: Chrome yellow (the modern equivalent is Cadmium Yellow Light) ,Cadmium Yellow ,Viridian Green, Emerald Green, French Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Madder Red (modern equivalent is Alizarin Crimson), Vermilion (or Cadmium Red Light) and Ivory Black (Black only if you're copying a Monet from before 1886--he later banished the black).

That is 9 tubes--not bad!

The following link is to Monet's palette info and his painting techniques, etc.

http://painting.about.com/od/oldmastertechniques/a/Techs_Monet.htm 



Monet's palette



So, to sum up Monet's palette, he used a light and dark version of the primaries of red, yellow and blue as well as a light and dark green; with the addition of white.

With these colors one can make every color that is found in nature. These are the rainbow colors that are found in refracted light.

Yet, I found I could cut even more tubes of paint if I used what is called The Double Primaries Palette.

The double Primaries Palette consists of a warm and cool version of each of the primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. One can make their own greens, dark and light, as well as browns and oranges and purple.

The Double Primaries Palette

Simply click on this thumbnail to see the colors listed.



All the tubes I need for The Double Primaries Palette.



 Instead of Thalo Blue Tint I can use a Cobalt Blue and make it into a tint by adding a little white.

The Double Primaries Palette that I am now using is, RED: Cadmium Red Light, Alizarin Crimson, YELLOW: Cadmium Lemon Yellow, Cadmium Yellow Medium, BLUE: Cobalt Blue (tint), and French Ultramarine Blue. Plus Titanium white.

That is 7 tubes of paint!

As I experiment and learn more about color I will share it here. To see my paintings one can go to my Flickr photostream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/43692916@N03/

Now, let's go paint!

Guerrilla Painter ThumBox

I used to carry, out into the field, the wild open-air, a French Easel, which is as heavy as carrying a Toyota Prius on one's back.

Here is a photograph of me using the French Easel:

Since I already have a bad back this was unendurable.

Consequently, I felt empathy for Vincent van Gogh and Monet and Pissarro and the rest of the herioc Masters of En Plein-air--the painters of the open-air.

I finally broke down and bought a small, modern day version of the pochade box.The pochade box according to Wetcanvas.com, "...is a compact, portable painting studio in a small box. "Pochade" is a French word meaning "quick (color) sketch...Traditional pochade boxes were characterized by three simple elements: A hinged lid which functions as an easel and wet painting carrier, a palette which slides out to one side, and the lower portion of the box which contains paints and brushes...These ingenious, old-fashioned devices were used extensively by 18th and 19th century landscape painters...The pochade box...was originally designed to be used for performing plein air 'studies', which are smaller, and less detailed than a finished painting...."http://www.wetcanvas.com/Articles2/5946/234/

I bought a Guerilla Painter ThumBox which is a pochade box. It is an awesome implement in the plein-air painter's repertoire.

Here are some photos of my Guerilla Painter Thumbox:

And my Guerilla Painter ThumBox in action, in the open-air:

And the resulting painting from that day:

 I am grateful to have the lightweight equiptment that is available to today's plein-air painters.

If you are a plien-air painter and are interested in purchasing a Guerilla Painter Thumbox or some the larger pochade boxes and painting supplies here is a good link.

I have used them to order my stuff and have only good things to say about the products and service: http://www.cheapjoes.com/

A Flower Kicked My Butt!

Monet once said that if it were not for flowers he probably wouldn't have become a painter.

I can understand that kind of love for the beauty of the flower, but what Monet didn't say--at least not as a quoteable quote--is that the flower can kick your butt.

This flower kicked mine.

I have a feeling that I will be painting many more flowers.

I painted this flower on Thursday, 08-04-2011, using a palette knife to apply oil paint to a 6" x 6" masonite panel.

Monet's Children



Today, I went out to paint en plein air--in the open air--and I was very disappointed with the little painting I made. It was covered in cliche and powedery looking, as if I used baby powder on it instead of Sennlier pastels.

Finally, I packed up my gear and headed for home, wondering why I hadnt become a plumber or something besides an artist. Maybe I am just not a landscape painter, I thought as I felt grey clouds form in my mind.

I got home and watched a Mark Rothko documentary on YouTube while eating a TV dinner--I was trying to make myself feel better.

After the documentary I walked out onto the porch and I saw the sunset. My mouth dropped open and I rushed for my pastels. They were nearby on the bed and I grabbed a handful of them and started  in.

If the neighbors had looked out their window they would have seen a bearded man staring into the sun chattering and scribbling furiously all over a piece of colored paper. I was chasing the light! 

 I didnt have time to think about establishing a good composition or values or even underpainting--I was racing.

When I was done and the sun was down over the trees I looked at my little painting and smiled.

I am an artist, I thought, why did I ever doubt?

 To Monet, who chased the light and found it--I salute you!

This painting, as most of my others, looks a lot better on Flickr. To see my photostream just go to Flickr and look up Daniel Balter. http://www.flickr.com/photos/43692916@N03/