The Advantages Of A Limited Palette

                                                                       "Siblings"

                                                                              SOLD

This piece sold this weekend at my show in Onancock, at the Red Queen Gallery. If I receive requests I may add it to my print shop. I can always be reached at normasfineart@gmail.com.

When I began my art journey, I focused on creating paintings using soft pastels. I fell in love with the immediacy of the process, the pure pigment and the way the light danced across the beautiful colors.
My palette consisted of two huge boxes of colors, both two feet by three feet! I had collected these over a couple of years ranging from hard brands to super soft which were great for adding final details. When I decided to venture into oils, the frustration level was pretty high! I had to MIX colors and learn to control a liquid medium that often turned to mud instead of the gorgeous pure color I was used to using. I wish someone had gotten a hold of me then and suggested I try a limited palette until I got the hang of things but....I may not have listened. I was already grieving the ability to grab any color or texture my heard desired and immediately put down the color I needed.  I painted for years with a pretty large palette of color but in the last year, I decided to adopt the palette of a local master painter named Charles Kello and it has been a great experience. Here are the five colors I put out on my palette every day.

Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue
Alizarin Crimson
Ultramarine Blue
Viridian

Soft Mixing White  Or Titanium

These are the colors he had his students use to create any color they needed.  Now, I have to admit that I have a few additional colors that I find I enjoy for pops of color. Those are:

Naples Reddish Yellow
Charvin St. Remy Blue
Lukas Beige
Cadmium Orange  (This is a much more pure orange than the one you can make using Alizarin and
Cadmium Yellow Pale).

If you like Cerulean blue, you can create it using Viridian, Ultramarine and white.

Give the limited palette a try minus my additional colors and see if you don't get better at mixing
in pretty quick order. Being able to mix your colors is such a huge part of painting and getting
down to the business of painting more quickly and with less frustration!

Red Bird

6" by 6" on wrap around canvas with sides painted making framing optional.

"I have been in love with painting ever since I became conscious of it at the age of six.  I drew some pictures which I thought fairly good when I was fifty, but really nothing I did before the age of 70 was of any value at all.  At seventy-three, I have at last caught every aspect of nature -- birds, fish, animals, insects, trees, grasses, all.  When I am eighty I shall have developed still further, and will really master the secrets of art at ninety.  When I reach one hundred my art will be truly sublime, and my final goal will be attained around the age of onehundred and ten, when every line and dot I draw will be imbued with life."     Hokusai (1760-1849)

My friend and fellow artist, Gina Buzby shared this quote with me. It really spoke to me about having goals but then enjoying the journey.  We are students of life as long as we have breath left in us!  Yesterday I had fun with the ladies I teach at Harbor's Edge and we were brainstorming about things to learn and try in the New Year with our painting.  One of the things I have always wanted to do is paint small portraits of women who are seniors as they have lived and loved and seen so much!  If you have any pictures to share with me of someone who would be willing to have me paint them or even from an old picture of someone no longer living, please send it to me at normasart@cox.net.  I can't promise to paint all of them but I will give them a try.  This is one of the goals that is formulating in my mind for the New Year.  Thank you!  Have a wonderful weekend.  p.s. the picture can be close up of the face or a candid shot doing an activity :-)  I have one of my Mom on my screened porch that I started to do as a painting years ago and not I can't find it!!  I will keep searching though as it was a perfect moment of relaxation with her reading and enjoying her time here visiting.

Norma Wilson Original Oil Black and White Irish Cow

10" by 10" original oil on wrap around canvas with sides painted.
Click to Bid!

Norma Wilson Original Soft Pastel Bailee Portrait

14" by 18" original soft pastel on wallis archival sanded paper

Today's post is another from my private collection. This is my other dog Bailee who is 6 years old and quite a character. She takes her job as guard dog very seriously....especially when guarding her bones and food! I always wanted a lab dog and she definitely enjoys a good snooze in my lap. Sometimes she is upset when my laptop is in the way. If you are interested in having a portrait done of your dog or cat, I work in soft pastel and oil and there are both examples in my gallery at http://www.dailypainters.com/. You can e-mail me at normsart@cox.net for more information on pricing and turnaround times. Animals are my favorite subject and I love to capture their special spirit. Hope your holidays are wonderful. Today is the last Sunday of the year! Thanks for checking in!

Norma Wilson Original Soft Pastel Keesha Portrait

14" by 18" original soft pastel on wallis sanded paper

Tonight's post is from my private collection and is not for sale. It is a tribute to my dog Keesha who passed away today after being a faithful friend for the past 17 years. She has been with my family since my college age sons were in pre-school and has moved all over the country as we moved with the military. She loved to spend many hours out in the back yard chasing squirrels or the boys as they played. She loved to circle the yard and did her runs so many times that she wore a path into the grass. In recent years she could be found at my feet as I painted in my studio....always ready to follow me if I needed to put in more laundry or get a cup of tea. Bailee, our other dog. loved to be her eyes and ears when she began to fail and would coral her and nip at her heels when it was time to come in from the yard. They both loved their snacks that they would get when they came into the kitchen. We will miss you Keesha!