(click here to see painting details) I just finished a large abstract oil painting called, Deep Blue, in which I experimented with a palette of only pure colors mixed with black. In color theory, these colors are called shades. I was apprehensive at first, because all the colors would be on the dark side, but I was very pleased with the result. For the background, I used Gamblin Indanthrone Blue plus black. All the other colors are embedded in this blue-purple background using a variety of geometric shapes and forms. The painting is striking, and the contrasting patches of color form an intriguing composition.A colleague of mine, [...]

While searching for an oil pastels, I came across a set from the French company Sennelier, originally developed for Picasso. [...]