After work today I went to the supermarket to get gravy and flavour sachets for cheap cuts of meat in the slow cooker. There was so much to choose from I got a little overwhelmed.
A woman noticed me staring at the shelves, choosing nothing. I smiled and said Dad was a grocer when I was a kid – you had two of most things to choose from and it was easier.
It’s cold at the moment, so most evenings I sit in the lounge by the gas fire, instead of at my art desk. I’ve been watching art videos. A YouTuber commented that limiting your art supplies on a piece can help, because limiting your choices stops overload.
At the same time, I’ve been experimenting with triadic colour palettes. I find having three colours plus black and white works well. Then, once I get to the very final marks, I’m free to use any colours for small accents. I think one of the reasons a triadic palette works well is because it decreases the need for decision making … put the colours on your palette and whatever you can mix is what you use. Simple!
As I get older, or maybe as the world gets messier, I find things somewhat overwhelming more often. It’s making me think about how I store my art supplies. Currently I have things grouped by type; paints, inks, pencils, pastels, crayons, and so on. I end up grabbing things out of multiple containers and drawers for working on one piece.
Maybe it would be better to store by colour, regardless of the material. That way, I choose my three colours I want to use then pull the appropriate containers out? Except that when I get to the final mark making, I’m still going to be ratting through multiple containers. I can see this needs some thought yet. I’d be interested to hear how others store their art supplies.
Cath Sheard Art 