Prussian blue and red oxide
I’ve been loving Prussian Blue and Red Oxide in combination recently. Both are great for bringing dark tones / values into paintings. Interestingly I discovered that Prussian blue is also synthesised from iron, so maybe this is what makes them such lovely partners. Iron oxide is one of the most opaque paints I use, whereas Prussian blue has greater transparency, so they also have some contrasting qualities that work well together.
“I found myself collecting just the same kind of beach finds that used to delight me as a child”
I was recently in the South West of England and spent a morning painting with these colours along with some earthy ochres, stony whites and pale yellows. Then, needing a break I headed down to a beach I used to visit as a child. It was lovely to have time to wander and I found myself collecting just the same kind of beach finds that used to delight me as a child; small pebbles, beach glass and bits of worn pottery.
I then realised the colours I was finding were a pretty close match with the colours I’d been using in my painting. I wonder if my love of that colour combination has been in my sub-conscious all those years!
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