I’m excited to announce a new limited-edition series of color collections: Palettes of Place, available now in the Art Toolkit shop. Every region has a unique vocabulary of color, climate, and stories that can be discovered through patient observation.

Our first in the series is a palette inspired by the Pacific Northwest and is a collaboration with artist Molly Hashimoto. This region is steeped in green hues of every shade, from bright lemony foliage to blue-tinged pine forests, and from luminous glowing greens of the rainforest to the windswept coastal grasses.

Seattle-based artist Molly Hashimoto is dedicated to connecting people to nature. She’s explored parks and wildlife refuges all over the West and is a long-time friend, mentor, and inspiration to me. Molly first helped introduce me to Daniel Smith watercolors in 1995!

For the Pacific Northwest Palette, Molly chose eight of her favorite Daniel Smith watercolors that mix a rich and varied range of greens.

We’re presenting our Palettes of Place series in the Demi Palette, the perfect size for exploring color, or as a complement to your other palettes.

Explore different ratios and saturation of Hansa Yellow Medium, Phthalo Blue (Red Shade), Quinacridone Burnt Orange, and Carbazole Violet to paint the sky, sunlight on deciduous leaves, conifer boughs and needles, tree trunks, moss, and understory shrubs.

Paint tree trunks with Alizarin Crimson or violet mixed with Quinacridone Burnt Orange, and darkened with Phthalo Blue. Add sparkle to alpine lakes and ocean spray with Fuchsite, and wash in Yellow Ochre for windswept bluffs and beaches.

Discover more possibilities with these colors and others in Molly’s terrific book, Colors of the West, An Artist’s Guide to Nature’s Palette. Learn about Molly’s other projects and workshops on her website.