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Kim,
People who choose to use my palette long range eventually tube the different color strings. Then they can just squeeze them out in minutes. The tubing is what takes days. Actually mixing out the palette, however, requires far less time. In the workshop people have overnight to do it. The more acute their eye is to translating color to value the faster they do it. Val did it pretty fast the first time.
The point that Val was eluding to was, mixing up the palette is not a precursor to painting. It is painting. Until you have developed the ability to see color in terms of value you have no chance at doing a successful portrait. I tell my students if they want to practice painting, then practice mixing the palette up. I did this for a year before I ever tubed.
Using my palette set-up speeds up the painting process tremendously when you're in front of the model. My students are amazed that although it looks like I paint very deliberately I get a lot done. This is because I'm not hunting and pecking.
There is also a misconception that somehow I'm using formulaic color solutions that leads to a similarity in the color of the skin. Not true. There are no recipes. Everything is based on evaluating what you see and making the appropriate choices.
My palette provides me with the necessary range to capture the nuances specific to each individual complexion I paint. It is an impressionistic use of color, in the true sense. The color is very lifelike but the paintings need to be seen in the flesh, so to speak, to appreciate what they look like. I am not painting for reproduction. like when I was an illustrator. My end result is the painting itself. The subtlety cannot be captured on film in the same way that real flesh cannot be captured on film. Maybe someone who saw the originals would like to share their experience of how they appear.
I make the mahl stick supports and brush organizers because of the response of my students to their usefulness. If anyone is interested in buying either of them send me an email.
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