Exploring New Acrylic Paint Colours | Artist Process with Lisa Ochowycz
We all have our favourites. As artists, it is easy to fall into a "well-worn groove" with our materials. We know how our standard blue mixes with our standard yellow, and that familiarity can be fruitful. But what happens when you disrupt that routine?
What if you introduced a colour you’ve never used before? What if you painted with a colour you didn't even like?
In our latest video, abstract painter Lisa Ochowycz invites us into her studio to explore the 12 new colours added to the Opus Essentials Acrylic collection. Through her process, she demonstrates how a simple moment of curiosity—asking "what if?"—can open a "whole new door of exploration" for your art practice.
Table of contents
Product List: What Lisa Used
Here are the specific colours and materials Lisa Ochowycz used in her studio experiment:
The New Colours Tested:
Opus Essential Heavy Body Acrylics
- Mars Yellow Light
- Yellow Cinnabar Green
- Cobalt Green Deep
- Opera Rose
- Neutral Tint
- Diarylide Yellow
- AquamarineÂ
- Medium Violet
- Mixing Gold
- Light Grey
- Neutral Tint
- Titan Buff
-
Warm Grey
-
Titanium White (not new, a studio staple!)
Surfaces:
Heavyweight Paper (For initial swatching)
- Opus Exhibition Cradled Wood Panels
- Buzz Panel
Brushes:
The Power of "What If"
For Lisa, experimentation is one of the pillars of her practice. Two decades into her career, she finds that testing new materials is essential to keeping the work fresh and interesting.
"Sometimes you're going to do a U-turn, and sometimes it's like a whole new road that gets paved and you follow that for a while," she explains.
Adding a new colour isn't just about buying a tube of paint; it is about fueling an internal curiosity. Whether the inspiration comes from a landscape memory or simply the look of a paint tube at the art store, following that "what if" can lead to unexpected and rewarding directions in your work.
Lisa’s Process: From Tube to Canvas
How do you actually integrate a brand-new colour into a settled practice? Lisa doesn't just squeeze it onto a masterpiece and hope for the best. She follows a specific process to test the "character" of the pigment before giving it a permanent spot on her palette.
1. The Sensory Check
As Lisa unboxes the new Opus Essential Acrylic Colours, she looks for texture and consistency, noting when paints are "very creamy" or "quite buttery". She describes this phase as feeling like a "candy store," where your eyes begin to pick up on the possibilities even if you don't know exactly what you will do with them yet.
2. Low-Stakes Paper Play
Before touching a canvas, Lisa plays on paper. This is a low-pressure environment where she can make a mess or create a "to-do list" of colour swatches.
-
Swatching: She pulls a dab of colour across the paper to see its mass tone and opacity.
-
Mixing In-Betweens: She tests how the new colour interacts with her staples. For example, mixing Mars Yellow Light with Opera Rose to create a lovely light orange.
-
Testing Movement: She paints loosely, "dancing along" the paper to feel how the paint moves and mixes on a surface.
3. The "What If" Integration
Once she understands the paint's mood, Lisa takes the leap. She brings the new colours over to a work-in-progress—in this case, a piece inspired by a landscape that needed a spark.
-
Layering: She tests how the new pigment layers on top of dry paint.
-
Shifting the Temperature: By adding warmer tones like Yellow Cinnabar Green or Mars Yellow Light to a cool landscape, she shifts the entire palette to something warmer and livelier.
Intuitive Editing: If a new colour feels too bright or intense, she uses water or "dirty water" to push it back and blend it into the composition.
The "Never Say Never" Rule
One of the biggest takeaways from Lisa’s process is her philosophy on colours she doesn't naturally gravitate towards. It is natural to be drawn to a specific palette—Lisa admits she usually leans toward cools like blues and greens. However, she has learned that every colour has a purpose.
"I've generally learned 'never say never', because you say never, you're going to end up using them," she says.
Even colours that you might avoid have a role to play. They can provide a necessary shock of contrast or a surprise for the viewer. By giving yourself the freedom to play with colours you don't understand yet, you build a "richer quiver of arrows" for when your future paintings need a problem-solver.
Meet the New Colours
Whether you are looking to revisit a colour you have avoided or simply want to ask "what if," the 12 new Opus Essential Acrylics are here to support that moment of curiosity.
As Lisa puts it, colour mixing is "alchemy, it's magic, it's beautiful," and the more you practice, the more tools you have in your toolbox.
Are you ready to expand your palette?
