Australian Red Violet | Matisse acrylic paint

Australian Red Violet | Matisse acrylic paint

Desert and arid regions around the world have very different natural coloration to wetter regions with heavier vegetation. These regions seem to span similar latitudes north or south of the equator so there is similarities with temperature as well as moisture in the air. Less thick vegetation means less organic matter in soils and so they tend to be sandier and tend toward redder and more orange colors on the ground while mountains and hills in the distance take on an almost violet tinge not seen in the bluer and greener hills of more lush landscapes.

Americans are very familiar with this in the beautiful colors in places like the Grand Canyon and Australians know it from the central deserts collectively known as The Red Center. Responding to the needs of landscape artists wanting better colors to work with these dry landscapes developed several colors that seem remarkably similar to the sorts of colors found in these exotic places. Australian Red Violet is one of them. it is a deep red violet color as the name suggests that is like the sorts of violets found in crevices and clefts in rock in the heat of the day. It also has the sort of color that creeps over the landscape in the deep evening when the air is still hot but the sun is low or disappearing and long shadows creep across the hills.

The pigment is a very deep red violet version of quinacridone. This pigment is remarkable for the many different shades that result from chemists making small adjustments to the molecule and varying the manufacturing process slightly. This is very fortunate since not all pigments are capable of such variety of color. It is amongst the most permanent colors on the palette and is rated ASTM I which means it is lightfast even in the palest of tints. It is semi-transparent which means it has more body than most other quinacridone pigments.

Australian Red Violet is very suitable for use as a general violet in all techniques. Mixed with Ultramarine Blue it makes deep violets and purples that are more light resistant than Dioxazine Purple, just as useful, and full of the variety that a mixed violet is capable of.