New Palette

Back in October I wrote a post about visiting Room 7 at the Tate Modern in March 2008 and sitting on the bench pivoting from right to left from Joan Mitchell’s Number 12, to Claude Monet’s late water lily to Mark Rothko’s Untitled 1951 citrus beauty. These three artists’ works are the ones I turn to often when seeking inspiration, a solution to a visual problem or just wanting to immerse myself in a beautiful painting. I was thinking of them back in October with a desire to adjust my palette. This has been a long process and the painting that I’m working on now, Living the Questions II, is the closest I’ve come to really lightening the colors I use and keeping the painting charged with mood and mystery and atmosphere. (sorry, iphone image.) The dark section is still a question for me and I’m going to let it sit a bit before putting it back on the easel. But since making this post and looking again at these fabulous works of Joan, Mark and Claude, I’m thinking violet…