PAINT LIKE A RICH MAN

Art of Painting Blog
Musings and More from Don Sahli…

Let’s look at one of those things that students always ask me in class: “How did you mix that color?” Usually I answer, “I don’t know.” Obviously this isn’t the answer they are expecting but it’s the truth. There are many, many ways to mix a color, especially if you work with a broad range of colors on your palette. Rather than having a preconceived idea about how to mix a color, I mix color based on what I see, and comparisions to the other colors and the relationships present.

I have worked with my palette of 17 colors for over 25 years. The paint colors are always placed in the same spot on the palette; letting me instinctively reach for the colors my brain says might work. After 10,000+ hours of painting (if you don’t know the importance of this number; read Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell), I trust my experience (I have been painting for 30 years) and go for it.

Many have asked why I use so many colors. Having more notes of color, lets you create a melody that harmonizes into a symphony. If you are playing the piano (a piano has 88 keys –everytime you play it); what happens if you use only five or six keys – probably not a symphony but maybe a beautiful minuet. (Now there is a reason to work with a limited palette, and I’ll save that for another post.)


So - “Paint like a rich man!” What do I mean by that? Squeeze out lots of paint. So often I hear students say, “I can not afford to have so much paint on my palette.” They are careful and precise in the amount they squeeze out. They are stingy or unsure of what they are doing and don’t want to be wasteful. How can one paint with so little paint available! Do not limit yourself.




I say, “Sell the Lexus… Skip the Starbucks… get some paint on that palette – paint like a rich man!” In other words, do what ever you must to allow yourself the freedom to use your paint to its fullest. You need paint…to paint! Don’t let not having enough paint on your palette keep you from completing a successful painting. This is one of the easiest problems to solve. And one of the biggest problems people create for themselves.


Along the same line, students will say, “well, I have heard that you can only mix 2-3 colors together at a time – with 4-5, you will get ‘mud’.” The first thing that comes to my mind is: who has time to calculate this? Secondly, this is one of those silly “rules” or “guidelines” that can be tested and discarded. It is not the number of colors used that creates the ‘mud’, the ‘mud’ is created by the over mixing of the colors. And ‘mud’ can be created by over mixing any number of colors. (Click on palette image to print)

There you have it. The secret to mixing color is that there is no secret. The goal is learn to “see” the colors and their relationships. That’s just the beginning! As my teacher, Sergei Bongart would say, “Put the right color in the right spot.” Because in reality, it’s not about the color – color cannot be copied; it is about the color relationships. And for the understanding of that, my friends, there is no shortcut. It’s all about miles traveled and hours worked. It is the journey; according to Malcolm Gladwell, about a 10,000 hour journey. So let’s get back to painting.

DS