Sunday, May 4, 2008  The Mud Debate  Is there such a thing as a
muddy color? There are two very different schools of thought on
this issue, with great painters and teachers on both sides of
the fence. Please consider both arguments and share your own
opinion in the comments.  The “Beware of Mud” School Some oil
painters are wary of overmixing colors to avoid colors that look
“dead” or “dirty.”  Virgil Elliott, in his popular new book
Traditional Oil Painting writes, “a clearer color sensation is
possible with a single pigment than with any mixture of two or
more.”  Daniel Parkhurst, a student of Bouguereau, said in his
1903 book, The Painter in Oil, “Over-mixing makes color muddy
sometimes, especially when more than three colors are used. When
you don't get the right tint with three colors, the chances are
that you have got the wrong three. If that is not so, and you
must add a fourth, do so with some thoughtfulness, or you will
have to mix the tint again.”  Partially mixed colors, he says,
are more apt to yi