Cadmium free and loving it. - Page 5

Linda Nelson · 02-01-2004, 07:47 PM

For those who have been following this interesting polemic, I happened to be one of the the first replies in this thread. I stated that I had been frustrated with the "lobster people" I would paint. I would feel there was this level of "acidity" sometimes.

Well I have some examples to show from the change already. Here is the painting I started a week or so ago after reading this thread and deciding to give the cad-free Paxton palette a shot. I have been impressed with the ability to get more subtlety, and therefore luminescence in my skin tones. For finishing touches, I did some tint layers with mixing transparent reds, yellows, and blues.

Sorry for the quality of the snapshots.

Linda Nelson · 02-01-2004, 07:54 PM

Here is a close up - It's at a severe angle when photographed, so the face looks distorted - i.e. the eyes slant. This was so to avoid the glare from the canvas (photographed hastily with bad light). I'll post the digital scan photo later under unveilings in a week or so.

I think using cads to acheive the same is "doable", but I think I "got there" faster with the Paxton palette (altered slightly - I didn't have Venitian red, and I added dioxazine violet and kings blue, and Old Holland turquoise).

Linda Nelson · 02-01-2004, 08:30 PM

Can you guess which it is?.....

At the time Marvin started this thread I was finishing this large painting - it is 7 1/2 feet tall and has 7 kids ( photos I took last summer). So to try out this paxton pallette, I stopped before finishing this painting, and started the painting of Olivia (shown in above post). Once almost completed with Olivia last week, I went back to this painting of 7 kids and finish it.

Just for yuks I painted one of the kids entire face and body in the paxton pallette. The rest were all done with my pre-paxton pallette - which I think was - naples yellow, cad yellow, cad orange, cad red, scarlet red, al crimson, yellow ochre, pale green, sap green, terre verte, ultra. blue, kings blue, turquoise, diox. purp. and black.

I just quickly took this photo at night tonight in incandescent light - sorry for the bad image. I'll post one with close ups tomorrow with better lighting.

I think, like I said in the painting of Olivia, that I completed the face faster with the paxton pallette than what it took me in time for any of the other 6 faces ( in general). I still used cads, but as a tweak here and there, not as part of the main "attack"

I thought I'd post this as I think it's rather fun to think that one face is painted with a completely different pallette.

Linda Nelson · 02-01-2004, 09:33 PM

the main reason this original post from Marvin interested me is because I was about to embark on my first Corporate Commission, and was having anxieties over having the skins tones having a more "professional" quality. I like the color of the cads, but that's not what I envisioned for this painting.

So I was really interested in trying out this paxton pallette, but not with the corporate commission at first. That's why I did the Olivia commission with the paxton pallette (shown above). Having good success, I finished that large family painting, then started the Corporate Commission with the paxton pallette.

This is after 3 days work, and I am enjoying the "flow" so far. I will probably expand what I paint with as the painting gets completed, but paxton pallette (adding a few colors as noted above) has felt comfortable so far.

Tom Edgerton · 02-01-2004, 09:34 PM

Linda--

I've said too much in this thread already but I have to check in regarding these. They're exciting and ambitious pieces. Congratulations. Thanks also for sharing what you've learned.

I thought that your comment on cads being the condiment and not the main course was a very astute summation.

Best to all--TE

Linda Nelson · 02-01-2004, 09:35 PM

Here's a close up

Oh by the way I don't mean to have so many posts here, I just think all these paintings are relevent to the topic, and so they might be a tangible example of the topic.

and yes I've been painting like a fool lately.

Marvin Mattelson · 02-02-2004, 01:06 AM

Congratulations on these wonderful commissions. Your work gets stronger with each painting. I'm very happy that the change of palette has worked out so well for you, and so quickly. I

Michele Rushworth · 02-02-2004, 11:41 AM

Linda, these are very impressive pieces and I am even more impressed with your lightning fast speed -- amazing!

Richard Budig · 02-02-2004, 03:07 PM

Linda:

First -- very nice work.

Second -- Paxton palette? I suppose I was "sleeping in class" when this palette topic came up. Is it in this thread, and I missed it?

Richard Budig · 02-02-2004, 03:15 PM

Linda:

Again, nice work.

And, once again, through the marvel of modern electronics (read that as search engine), I found the Paxton palette.

I wrote to Marv the other day, after spending an entire morning playing with these two reds (I like Venetian better) and told him that with a bit of tweaking, it was possible for me to get all the same color(values/hues) that I have been working with up to now. However, I was really impressed with the soft and delicate flesh tones I could get with these "earthier" colors.