In the course of a week of art classes (now being done on Zoom) there is one rule that comes up over and over.  When I ask the question, "What are you using?" and the answer is Black or White, straight out of the tube, singly or together - I must repeat the mantra below:
Tubed White is not a color!!!  Tubed Black is not a color!!!!  Therefore, Tubed Black and Tubed White used together are NOT colors.  Zero plus Zero does not equal One.
Now, before someone decides to get offended by this - the white and black that companies manufacture, across the board, are flat and dead unless color is added to them.  Any of the darker colors added together make gorgeous, living blacks.  And yes, black can be added then to darken if necessary.  Likewise, just a tinge of color added to White makes a rainbow of lights and grays.
I can see this from across the room!  The black and/or white stand out as flat, empty and dead!  In nature, black is filled with color!!!  White is filled with color.  
Until I studied with Helen Van Wyk, I was taught never, ever use Tubed Black because the Black would overpower any color it was mixed with.  This is true of Mars Black and Lamp Black - they are opaque and muffle any color mixed with them - hence they are not on my legal list of colors.  Ivory Black, on the other hand, is transparent and makes a million galaxies of gray.  Beautiful gray, another dimension to our palette of colors.
I use Zinc white - mostly because Helen Van Wyk used it but I find it warmer than Titanium White.  And, because our whole earth is warmed by the sun, I go with the warmer white.  

​My last and most beloved teacher was Helen Van Wyk.  After years of taking classes in drawing and painting, Helen provided all the basic answers that would have been such a help when I started.  So - here is Helen's color list, my Bible when it comes to color:

Basic Palette
Zinc White 

Warm Colors
Yellows
Cadmium Yellow Light
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Umber

Oranges
Cadmium Orange
Raw Sienna
Burnt Sienna

Reds
Cadmium Red Light
Grumbacher Red
Venetian (also Lite or Terra Rosa) Red
Indian Red

Cool Colors
Alizarin Crimson
Thalo Green
Thalo Blue

Ivory Black

Extra Colors
Sap Green
Manganese Violet
Dioxazine Purple
Cadmium Yellow Medium
Cadmium Yellow Dark
Thalo Red Rose
Thalo Yellow Green

Oh my!!!!  After quite a few years, Weebly has added a Blog page - and I have been thinking about writing a blog again!  Perfect.
Hmmm...what will go here?  That is the question.  Well, first and foremost art questions and comments from my students.  And then....there might be some Astrological thoughts, some philosophy thoughts, possible some vague thoughts about our present government atmosphere and maybe some thoughts about my favorite movies, a book or two, what I am currently working on (painting, house, yard...).
You will probably need a sense of humor to read my stuff.  And, a nice person - because I will joyfully eradicate any comments that are mean, cruel and downright nasty.  If you can't handle that - get over it and learn to treat people kindly.
​Well, anyway, it's a place for me to put down some thoughts.  There's usually too many of them running around in my head at the same time so this will be a new and exciting adventure.
​- Kathy