Pick A Palette And Make It Your Own
- Denise Cerro
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
I think I've mentioned many times how much I enjoy doing a color chart... especially color harmony charts. I'm not sure why I still do them because I pretty much always paint with the same four colors, with a little variation thrown in every now and again. Sometimes my students roll their eyes when I say "let's do a color chart"...I used to do that when I was a student...I just wanted to get onto painting!
Choosing a color palette is one of those things that feels small and not so important...at first…until you realize it actually becomes part of your artistic voice. It’s often the thing people recognize before they even notice your brushwork, subject matter, or composition. Color carries mood, memory, energy...it tells people how to feel before they even understand what they’re looking at.
In Refelection You Can All Me Queen Bee
When I first started painting, I thought I needed to use all the colors to make a piece interesting. I’d see artists online and in classes creating these wildly vibrant works and thought more color meant more creativity. I may have been wrong! I realized the paintings that stayed with me most had restraint...had consistency. ...and felt intentional...and almost always the colors caught my eye first!
A personal color palette doesn’t mean you only use five colors forever or that every piece has to match your living room. It just means you begin paying attention to the colors you naturally return to again and again. The ones that feel like home.
For me, there are certain colors I can’t seem to stay away from. Red Oxide, Raw Sienna, Green Blue (or any form of turquoise), and a touch of Green Gold (lime green) for a little kick. Even when I try to go in a different direction, those colors eventually find their way back into my paintings somehow. I’ve stopped fighting it...I actually think that’s where my artistic voice begins. I can mix an unbelievable color range from just those four colors...it's kinda magical how that happens!
Collectors notice this too, even if they can’t explain it. I think a consistent palette creates connection between your pieces. It makes your body of work feel cohesive and recognizable...even if you change up your painting style...your color palette is the glue that holds it all together. I paint abstract, representational, mixed media, collage...even ceramics and assemblage...they all reflect the same color palette with little deviation!
And honestly, limiting your palette can also make the process of painting less overwhelming. Instead of standing in front of fifty paint tubes wondering what to do next, you start building familiarity with your colors. You learn how your colors mix, layer, mute, brighten, and react with one another. Your work begins to feel more like you because you’re no longer chasing every possibility...and the savings at the art store are pretty great!
And for those who collect art or simply appreciate it, color is often what draws you in emotionally. You may not know why a painting feels calming or nostalgic or full of energy…but color is doing a lot of that work quietly in the background.
I think the best palettes evolve naturally over time. They aren’t forced. They’re collected slowly through experimentation, failed paintings, favorite moments, and paying attention to what keeps pulling you back.
Your palette becomes less about trends and more about recognition...
kinda like your visual handwriting.
As always...I like to share my weekly YouTube video with you...this one is final touches to the painting at the beginning of this ARTicle. I hope you enjoy...and thank you for being the reason I keep showing up each week!
All the art in this post can be found right here on my website...
take a look around.
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