BURRIDGE PART 3: THE LIMITED PALETTE, June 2, 2008

Now, anyone that knows my work... or even those that don’t know my work but have taken a look at my art archives… should know that the idea of “limited palette” in a painting is pretty alien to the way I normally work! So this was probably one of the most interesting—as well as the most difficult—of the concepts I took away from the Burridge workshop.

OK, the CONCEPT was not alien to me, as I see many of these kinds of works out in the world just like all of you do! Although I like much of the work, I have to admit that I never quite understood an artist who used all warm colors, or who worked in a monochromatic manner on a painting. After all, how could he or she overlook all that juicy, luscious, vibrant, exciting, energizing COLOR that was available?

But, the Burridge concept (see his own version of the “color wheel” at his website on his web page proved without a doubt to me that using a “limited” palette of only four colors can be very far from dull or uninteresting!

Take a look at one of the paintings that I did using this concept of limited color palette. I defy anyone to consider it “not colorful!”

So, what makes Burridge’s concept of color interaction different than others. Well, honestly, I am not sure it is. But, I am sure that he has articulated the concepts of a limited palette in a way that is understandable, usable, and fun to try! First of all his color wheel has 10 colors instead of the traditional twelve…. I am not sure (and I don’t think HE was sure either) what ultimately led him to this limitation from the traditional wheel. But, there is no doubt that when one gets “inside” the process that you really don’t miss the extra colors. And, as in a traditional wheel, just because it says a certain blue, it is not meant to be a rigid limitation!

I should add here that when he talks about limiting his palette on a painting to 4 colors he is actually talking about 4 colors PLUS white and black.

The process includes your choosing what you want your “dominant color” to be in the painting. By turning the wheel you find your “dominant color” – and across from that is your “focal point color”. The dominant color, with black and white added to give you the variant tones, make up the primary color in the painting. In the painting above, that color was purple. My focus color, using the wheel, was the green. Then, you pick two other colors for your "spice colors"--which for me were a variants of orange and a compose blue #1. The trick is to use the spice colors in moderation, and to keep it close to the focal point color.

It was fun, and was a good exercise for someone who is "color crazy" in his paintings!