Lily Pads in Shades of Purple

June 2008
First Oil Painting

Last winter I enrolled in a beginner's oil class at a local art shop. Here we were introduced to water soluble oils - my first true experience with this traditional medium. Until then I had been painting strictly with acrylics. Although acrylics have the bonus of drying quickly which enables the painter to quickly cover their errors, oils are a much more organic experience requiring patience and devotion to the subject. I soon feel in love with the silky textures and the neccessity to slow down and enjoy the painting process without hurridly rushing through to completion.

The Exercise:
The purpose of this exercise was to work in shades of gray, focusing on the blocks of shade within the photo while at the same time lifting the need to accurately mix many different colours (which can be very frustrating for the beginner painter). Since I had already created a grayscale painting in the beginner acrylics class the previous semester, our instructor asked me to use shades of purples. In this class we used only the five basic colours - red, yellow, blue, white and black. As a new painter, I found purple to be one of the most difficult colours to mix. However, with patience and determination, I managed to mix the right depths and shades of colour for this photo (source unknown).

Hints to Other Beginners:
Having the right combination of blue and red is necessary for a vibrant luxurious purple. For this painting I used red light cadmium and french ultamarine blue. The result was a muddier purple lacking richness and depth. After this class I experimented with other reds and was able to create a variety of purples that revealed more characteristic hues of purple. Even though I enjoyed the thrill of creating my own colours, I can see the need for the pre-mixed purples, such as Dioxazine purple, available in art stores. If you should choose the pre-mixed option please be sure to attempt mixing your own purples at least a few times.