I was gifted a beautiful set of Mamut soft pastels for Christmas and what else could I do but try them out on a small landscape? Here is the result. I can definitely still improve my pastel techniques but I'm pretty happy with this one. I've included a picture of the absolutely lovely gift box in which the set arrived.

Dear Samuel Earp, I was wondering if you might be willing to share your thoughts on working in different mediums. Do you approach painting in oils any differently than you would in gouache, either in terms of technique, planning, or mindset? I’d really appreciate hearing your perspective. Best regards, Howard Lambert

I've tried making colour charts in the past but I think I hurried the process. So, I'm starting over. I'm going to make a change from the usual way charts are done by including two "palettes". Palette 1: a lighter palette, Cad Yellow Light, Cad Red Light, Yellow Ochre, Sap Green, Alizarin Crimson, Burnt Sienna, Cerulean Blue Palette 2: a darker palette, Cad Yellow Med, Cad Red Medium, Cad Orange, Veridian, Burnt Umber, Van Dyke Brown, Ultramarine Blue I am going to include both palettes of 7 colours on a single panel, light on the top half and dark on the lower. The first panel includes all the colours, each in five shades with no mixing yet between the various colours. The mixing will occur on the panels that follow. Here is the first panel. Completing the whole project will take some time but I'll try to post progress as charts get finished.

Another painting from memory. I spent my teenage years on Lake Erie and one morning the water was like a smooth pane of glass. After many sketches, this 16 x 20 oil on canvas is my attempt to capture that morning.

If I would switch to oils from acryllic, do I need Liquin original to help the oil paint dry faster? Anything else I need? After over a year with acryllic I’m seriously considering making the jump. Any guidance is greatly appreciated!