Limited Palette

I did something yesterday that I've been wanting to do for a long time: work with a limited palette. For someone who thinks less is always more it took me long enough to get around to using a limited palette. I guess it was hard to get out of my comfort zone. Anyway, it took me two days but I learned a lot. I used Aureolin Yellow, Permanent Rose, Burnt Sienna, Cobalt Blue and Chinese White. At first I was going to just use the Burnt Sienna and Cobalt Blue but halfway through the painting I thought I'd allow myself just a bit of the primaries. Of course, these two colors are complementaries so that wasn't too much of a stretch for me but I felt I needed the punch of the primaries to finish up. It was real easy to lift these colors and I really took advantage of it. My first choice is not to have to lift paint cause it leaves a surface that is not totally clean and texture of paper is compromised so you don't get that real fresh look. I noticed that when using the Chinese White it stayed on the surface instead of melting into the paint underneath it. I used some fresh paint and maybe it wasn't as wet as I might have used it in the past. Such a miniscule amount of water in the paint can make a big difference. It brought me back to feeling like I was using oils. I like the contrast of opaqueness and transparency in the painting. I may use this palette on a set up that is not so neutral next time I get to paint.
I'm going to the Donnell Library across from MOMA to look at their watercolor books. I go to B&N quite often and have quite a few books myself but I'm hoping they'll have something either out of print or different. I love reading new books; it's so inspiring. It's the best part of working on a book and of course advancing in my own technique. Boy, I'm chatty in this post. Maybe a new direction for me. Ah, I think it may be a result of reading the Times article this past Sunday on the intimacies of blogging. I'll see if I can get the name of the article or author. She was great.
There were two reasons I chose this set-up to try the limited palette: it was there already and it was very neutral. Ah, laziness!! Would love to hear how you think it holds up to the previous post.
"White Pitcher", watercolor on paper, POR