Today and yesterday afternoon I've been glazing a picture called The Quest for Physical Intimacy in a Loveless Relationship (pictured).
The colours could have been almost anything for this fantastical idea but a lone tree in a barren winter field exactly summed up the mood, so I chose those colours, seen through a bus window and memorised two months ago. The picture is mostly ultramarine violet and raw umber, with viridian in the floor. I like viridian and it's opaque friend oxide of chromium because it makes nice natural colours when mixed with ochres and umbers and doesn't glow or overpower like the artificial greens (and it is more permanent and faster drying). Oxide of chromium is a dull "mushy pea" green that is totally uninspiring when first seen, yet it's earthy battlefield greens can transform the dead into the living, and its power make it ideal for those tiny grass stems. I've noticed that under artificial light it looks more beautiful.
