Oil Painting requires organization
Since the house fire (long story) I have been living and painting in my studio in Uzes France a smallish french town with a big town sophistication and great social atmosphere. Without the room I had in the house while it is awaiting reconstruction however, I've had to become much more organized than I ever was before. This exercise of spacial efficiency has lead me to think about ways to make painting materials more organized. My palette has always been extremely organized and this is one of the first lessons I teach my students. With out the ability to keep paint neatly on the periphery of the palette and a clear surface in the middle, your colors will quickly resemble mud on your canvas.