More About Palettes

by Kari Anderson

Though palettes have been used since the 15th century, their shapes and materials have evolved over time. While oval or kidney-shaped wooden palettes were predominate for centuries, palettes now come in an array of shapes and materials.
           
Even the color has changed. Literature from MacPherson’s explains, “When large wooden palettes were most popular, people often painted on canvases prepared with a red or brown ground. A mahogany or mahogany-stained palette showed how colors would look against this color ground. Most artists prefer a white palette when painting against a white ground.”

Trend spotting
           
Frank Stapleton, president of MacPherson’s points to the increased number of choices as the main trend within palettes these days.

Michelle Richeson, art director at Jack Richeson & Co. says an innovation she’s seeing is the incorporation of color wells and mixing areas into other products, such as brush washers and easel trays. 

Michelle also points out that the paint that’s dried on a nonstick palette can actually be used to create art. “Many artists use nonstick palettes to create a colorful film to be stretched over a frame or to be used in collage work,” she says. “These same artists found this technique impossible on regular plastic surfaces because acrylic will bind to acrylic.”
           
Shirley Miller, director of education and public relations for Loew-Cornell, notes that gray color-neutral palettes are a new trend, as well as easy-clean palettes.

Tips for color arrangement
           
Since palettes are totally open-ended, an artist can apply her paint in any order she wants. But, to be more successful, you might suggest some of the following practices.

• Always apply the paint in the same arrangement, so you can better understand color relationships and how to blend colors.

• Arrange colors from light to dark, which gives the colors a context.

• If there is more than one hue of a color, divide them into warm and cool sections.

Cross-merchandising
           
There are many products that can be displayed with palettes for easy add-on sales. They may be obvious to most retailers, but not for everyone: One art supply store I visited displayed palette knives three aisles away from their palettes. Check this list of products you can merchandise along with your palettes. Change the groupings every so often to bring renewed attention to your display.

• Aprons
• Blending brushes
• Brushes
• Brush washers
• Carrying bags
• Cleaners
• Color charts
• Jars with lids
• Mediums
• Paints
• Palette knives
• Rags
• Sponges
• View finders

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