Azo Orange Has Joined The Team!

While I’m partway through today’s painting and waiting for a layer to dry, I thought I’d take the chance to introduce a new recruit. I’ve had the five colour MGraham landscape set for a while and it’s been occupying its own palette where there’s been room for a sixth colour. With a green, a blue, brown, a purple and an earthy yellow in the set, I’ve been pondering for months what to bring in a sixth colour.

I wanted something quite saturated to complement what’s quite a muted, neutral, grown up set of colours but was undecided over whether to bring in a yellow, an orange or a red. Well, after reading Michael Reardon’s book and being impressed by what he can do with oranges and blues, I decided to go with an orange. I went for azo orange because it looked bright and sunny and because it was both a transparent and single pigment colour (PO 62).

The orange is currently being put through its paces in its first painting, which I’m planning on posting up here later today.