Palette Knife Exercise

Letting Go of Control with a Palette Knife Exercise.

This was a small, wild palette knife painting — not my normal way of working, but a fun and freeing adventure.

We taped off a page into small sections, about 2 x 3 inches each. Using a palette knife with oil paint, we dragged paint across, through, up, and down the surface. No planning. No fixing. No control.

And that was the point.

Tiny oil paintings with grays, pinks, gold, yellow and orange by Laurie Pace

©Laurie Pace Graphics One Design 2026

Texture Oil Exercise

It was surprisingly freeing because the brain simply cannot take over in this kind of exercise. There is no time to think — only to respond. I can’t imagine doing this on a large canvas and feeling as loose as I did working small.

This is also a wonderful exercise in color choice. Mine weren’t the best, but for a first attempt, I now understand the importance of pre-thinking color relationships before beginning.

What does this teach us in the studio?

Not to try to control everything.

I have a lot pulsing through my thoughts right now as I prepare to begin several paintings for a client. Sometimes commission work flows easily — and sometimes it doesn’t. When it tightens up, stepping away and letting go can be essential.

I’ll share more as I move through the first painting — but not until then.

Let go of tightness.

Close your eyes.

Breathe deeply.

Every time we fail, we gain something — knowledge, experience, and permission to keep going.

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Laurie is an international artist, her paintings are collected in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, DuBai, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, the UK, Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, St Thomas, Romania, Greece, Croatia, and Ecuador.

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