I always get a bit of thrill when I add gray to a painting; its effect on the surrounding colors makes them brighter especially if they are earth tones and warm. Today it happened as I was working on the 9th Octet. In this case it is Golden’s Neutral Gray #6 that performed the magic which is a light gray but I have had happen with Payne’s Gray and other grays.
As with the just finished 8th Octet the 9th has passages that excite me but I try not to become too attached to them and consciously work around them since it isn’t my style or method. Still I hate to see them go or be diminished.