Why I paint from the tube.
There seems to be a sort of elitist attitude in the art world surrounding colour mixing. In school, I was always told to focus greatly on colour theory. I was taught, in detail, about the colour wheel, how Primary and Secondary colours are created, and how to use them in harmony. Although this was all extremely helpful for my artistic foundation, I always felt like I was spending far more time preparing my colours than actually using them.
I was listening to one of my favourite artists’ Podcast the other day and the topic of mixing your own colours came up. Susan Nethercote and her firey employee/fellow artist, Steph Wallace, were nerding out and discussing a variety of art supplies that they like best. Without giving too much away, as I highly recommend you listen to Susan Nethercote’s Studio Insider Podcast (episode 44 for the art supply nerd-out!) Nethercote said something that gave me a surprising amount of relief. She was talking about how many artists think it’s important to mix their own paint colours; how it is almost as if mixing your own colours makes you a better artist. But she admitted to painting from the tube often, which is when my ears perked up. She, like me, is a passionate painter who just wants to jump in. She pointed out that artists are typically short for time to begin with, so when they do have space carved out for painting, why bother with the fussy mixing?
I could not agree more! I felt relieved when I heard this. Elated, even. I didn’t realize just how much I’ve been quietly ruminating over the fact that I paint from the tube more often than I mix my own palettes. Don’t get me wrong, I am constantly mixing colours from a variety of tubes together, as well as lightening and darkening even the purest of colours. But at the end of the day I have a plethora of gorgeous colours in my studio and I get so much joy in using them! There’s nothing like finding a colour that you can’t even imagine being able to successfully mix yourself, and then being able to just go for it straight away! Without being overly melodramatic, it’s pure bliss. Take this euphoric moment and eliminate the need to take detailed notes as I mix each colour, feverishly trying to nail just the right shade? Heaven.
Call me a lazy painter if you must. But I call it passionate! When I have managed to sort out the rest of my life, in order to find myself a few quiet minutes to paint, I want to get all of my ideas down. I have no interest in trying to prove something by mixing my own colours, day in and day out. There are some colours that I love mixing myself, but I’m just as content using someone else’s in my work. So long as the quality is good, I’m there for it.
Now, that being said, you may be thinking to yourself, “but what if you love a colour and the company discontinues it?” Yup. That could definitely happen. And that would probably be a pain in the bum. But that’s just a risk I’m willing to take. If I have a specific red that I love to use and one day I can’t buy that exact shade anymore, I think I’ll live. With two little boys, a husband who is always working, going through a ten week home renovation (I bought a fixer upper. Shocker.), and being on the tail-end of fighting stage three breast cancer, I am ALL about simplicity and ease. Oh, hey lovely art supply company… you’d like to mix a variety of dreamy colours that I can buy whenever I so please? Great! I just don’t have time to get snooty about my colour palettes. I think art schools do young creatives a great disservice with their purist teachings. Art should be an act of freedom, expressive and accessible. I don’t believe for a second that every amazing painter should be just as accomplished in colour theory. We can’t be good at everything. Can we?
BONUS:
As a little bonus to this blog post, I’ve taken the time to jot down all of my current favourite paint colours - brands included. Please note that this is not an affiliated post. These are just colours and brands that I enjoy using - I’m sure this list will grow as my practise does, but these are my go-to’s right now that I absolutely love working with!
Keep learning. Keep creating.
Want an update on when the next blog post gets published?