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June 09, 2005
Temperamental colours and dangerous palettes
I don’t know what it is about Alizarin Crimson but it doesn’t always behave. Mostly it gives this deep rich warm red, ideal for that bit just as the form moves into deep shadow. [The deep shadow itself being the preserve of Indian Yellow cut with Ivory Black.] It is a belter of a colour with a huge range, but it can be temperamental.
Alizarin Crimson [C14H8O4 , developed from an organic derivative of coal tar, where anthraquinone dye is converted to the calcium salt in the presence of alumina hydrate and a small percentage of sulfonated castor oil, in case you were wondering] has a bluish undertone, that if not handled carefully can get a bit muddy; especially on my palette which seems to becoming both exceedingly sparse and increasingly dangerous.
Get a bit of Flake White in the Alizarin Crimson and it's Pink City, and I’m talking Barbie Doll meets Elastoplast. Cut in too much French Ultramarine and purple ensues. Given that I have a lively painting style, I can ruin the whole palette with a careless stroke. Then it’s turpentine and rags all the way.
Posted by john at June 9, 2005 09:07 AM
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