4/6/11

ABOUT THESE PIGMENTS...


"Real Artists" don’t shop at Michael’s, but I swallowed my artist snobbery and entered. It’s the only game in town and I needed paint.

So there I stood in front of a rack of watercolors trying to dredge up old facts that I’m sure must be floating around in this brain somewhere. Ten years ago, I knew every color’s name and its qualities. Various pigments do different things, you see, and mix together in different ways. All I could remember was that the pigments in cadmiums separate when mixed. I tried to remember which colors were the overpowering ones that could (and had) ruin a painting if you’re not careful. Scarlet Lake is one, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember the others.

I asked the guy helping me if he knew anything about watercolors, and he said, "Yes, a little." I knew this would be a short conversation.

I picked out Sap Green, Hooker’s Green Dark, Cadmium Red, and Alizarin Crimson. I always liked the sound of those colors.

Meanwhile, I wonder why they don’t harvest hairball pigment? It’s a permanent stain.

No comments:

Post a Comment