Recently the director of one of my galleries requested that I consider painting in particular colors that were popular in her area of the country. But she warned that she did not want to over-direct me because, "It's so important for an artist to maintain their own style and capture their moment of inspiration."
For me, the beginning color choices in a painting are not that important. I always begin by painting "backgrounds" that may or may not be obliterated in the final result. Normally I pick the colors by using up tubes of paint that are almost empty, thus being economical. However, it would be wrong to say that I don't control the background colors at all. Sometimes I want a red/orange or green/blue effect, for example. Sometimes I work mainly in brown/black and white. And I like to include dashes of colors that don't belong in a grouping, just for the spice of it.
Certainly, I do have favorite colors to work with, but what's a favorite one moment may not be the next. I often see the colors in one painting or group of paintings as an antidote to the colors in a previous group. After a series of black and white paintings, for example, I had to paint in bright colors.
So back to my gallery director's request: Yes, I can use suggested colors without destroying my "moment of inspiration." Basically, what I do is set it up as a challenge. I work to mix the colors she wants, either on or off the canvas, and then see what is suggested by such a beginning. I may not end up, however, using the colors I started with. For me, once the painting takes off, it has a life of its own and whatever that life requires must be done to nourish it.
