Per Elof Nilsson Ricklund is a third generation Swedish artist and graduated from The Florence Academy of Art graduate in 2011. He is former director of the Anatomy and Écorché programs as well as a former Principal Instructor in painting.

His work today takes the form of narratives based on his Sami heritage, Sami history and culture, and also draws inspiration from archeology, as well as ancient and classical art. He splits his time working in the north of Sweden, between wilderness and civilization.

In this video we are guided through the intricacies of how he sets up and uses his palette in order to create the desired effects in his work. Beginning with some basic concepts, Per Elof explains the color circle and how that influences the paints he chooses to have on his palette. We are also shown how colors and paints can be chosen to convey a specific mood and how atmosphere is translated through color. After walking us through the colors he has on his palette he also talks about the variety in opacity of paint and how he mixes paints of different transparencies in order to achieve different results. Overall, Per Elof explains that he tries to keep an assortment of colors that become a family, and at some times prefers working with a limited palette: “The less you have the more creative you get” says Per Elof, but in the end, he feels the that the importance lies with the fundamentals.