Warmer horizons

(C) 2019 Dale DiMauro

After thoroughly cleaning my palette I am up and running again. I have introduced more warmer pigments as can be seen on the left. Yellows, I find useful in creating rich, vibrant greens as opposed to store-bought tubes of green. Nevertheless, french ultramarine blue is the pigment I use most.  

During the process of cleaning my palette I learned it was best to knock any dry pigment loose with a screwdriver or palette knife. Then, I had less pigment to deal with, which cleaned up well with a household spray. This approach was actually less time consuming, cleaner and used much less paper towels than any other approaches I have tried to date. 

Originally, it seemed necessary to clean my palette because there was a build-up of dry, cracked pigments. It was also an opportunity to introduce new pigments while parting with some that I do not use much. Since this change I am mixing more purples and a greater range of grays.

Recently, I started this watercolor on the right. This landscape felt more like a November scene than an early January one.