The Palette: A Painting Before the Painting

Before my brush ever touches the canvas, something special happens on my paint palette. Colors kinda do their own thing- a drop of orange rolls  into the blob of dark green paint creating unusual color combinations. The artist’s palette is where colors come alive—swirling together in a quiet, effortless harmony. Deep ultramarine blues, warm ochres, and soft rose hues mix like fleeting moments, never to be repeated. This space, where raw pigment meets possibility, is a painting in itself—an intimate, behind-the-scenes moment few ever see. 

The Beauty of Fine Art Materials

I do love to think about materials, this month I am focusing on creating a new series of works on paper using acrylics. Throughout history Artists have long sought out the richest earth pigments, natural minerals, and hand-ground paints—materials with depth, history, and a glow that can’t be replicated. Some of the world’s most coveted blues were once made from crushed lapis lazuli, while deep reds came from the rarest organic sources. Even today, the best oil paints and mineral-based pigments hold a kind of radiance that makes a painting feel alive. In my studio I switch in and out of using both oils on canvas and acrylics on paper. Each material has a different flexibility and sound. 

Texture, Light, and the Details That Matter

The way paint is applied changes everything. Some artists build their work slowly, layering translucent glazes that let light pass through, creating depth and warmth. I mostly glaze with linseed oil and damar varnish in my oil paintings. It’s a longer process of waiting for the paint to dry, however the effects are worth it.  If I feel impatient, or need to see fast results- I will build up sculptural elements with a palette knife, carving peaks and valleys of color that shift with the light. These small details—how the brush moves, how the paint catches at the edges—give a painting its energy, its quiet rhythm.  They are what make a piece feel personal, something to be seen and experienced close up.

The Story Behind the Canvas

When we look at a finished painting, we often see the final story—but what about the moments before? The first strokes, the careful mixing of colors, the way an idea takes shape layer by layer. The palette, splattered with weeks of dried paint, holds the memory of every choice made. These details may be invisible once the work is framed, but they are part of what makes each painting one of a kind.

A Piece of the Process

Bringing art into a space is more than just decoration—it’s a connection to something deeper. A great painting carries the energy of its making, from the first flick of a brush to the last touch of varnish. And sometimes, it’s not just the painting itself that captivates, but the way it came into being—the way the colors were chosen, the way the light plays across the surface, the unseen moments that shaped it. This is why I hold onto some of my paper palettes,  they are kind of a historical document in paint.  It’s always bewildering going from a paper palette like the image above, to a finished painting like the one below.