Bread and Butter

I have been painting with oils for over a decade and I absolutely hate the color black. In my entire career as an oil painter I have never once bought black paint, ever. I love dark values and I love contrast, but you will never see me using black in any of my paintings.  You might be asking yourself, " Why would a self identified painter disregard such a basic color?  Well, I am a very stubborn painter, and old habits die hard.  Particularly, old comments from my 5th grade art teacher. As an eleven year old, my favorite art teacher, Miss Patty, taught me two things: mix your own blacks , and never use paint out of the tube . I was conditioned from an early age to mix my own black, and I still do to this day.  Why painters mix black It is a very "painterly" thing to mix your own blacks. But why do painters do this? Painters mix their own blacks to create a cohesive pallet. Black is a very harsh color, and it tends to overshadow the nuances of color.  Utilizing...