Muted Drama in the Saltlands: Mastering Limited Palette (Weekly Challenge #175)

Natalia C.
Aug 1
3 min read

This week, we journey to the stark, windswept landscapes of the Murray Mallee, a semi-arid region straddling the border between Victoria and South Australia. Shared by our co-host Judith @judithcrowleyart, this haunting terrain is shaped by red clay, pale sand, and expansive salt pans. Dotted with twisted eucalypts and stubborn saltbush, it's a region where muted tones and parched textures dominate — a perfect testing ground for the week's focus: limited palette.

The four references show both the power and the restraint of this otherworldly place. Their subdued beauty invites you to go beyond color and dive into tone, texture, and composition. It’s a subtle kind of drama — and one that artists can elevate with carefully chosen values and hues.

Focus Point: Limited Palette

A limited palette doesn’t mean less impact — quite the opposite. Choosing just a handful of colors gives you clarity, harmony, and intention. This week’s location, with its neutral tones and quiet contrasts, is ideal for practicing subtle shifts and value structure.

To dive deeper into this topic, revisit my earlier blog post Get Out of the Box with a Limited Palette – Less Colors, More Impact

Analyzing This Week’s Reference Photos

Now let’s dive into the reference photos of this week.

Photo 1: Fallen limbs and saltbush scrub

A wide view shows driftwood-like mallee skeletons strewn across open salt flats. The middle ground recedes toward a distant tree line.

Sparse landscape with dry salt flats, scattered dead trees, and patches of green shrubs. Clear blue sky in the background. Desolate mood. — Week 175: Murray Mallee, Australia. Photo Credit: @judithcrowleyart

Challenge as a photo: The tones are extremely close together — there’s no strong contrast or dominant focal point.

Focus Questions:

What 3–4 colors might you mix to represent this palette?
Could you use temperature (warm vs cool) to separate planes?

Tips:

Consider starting with a tonal underpainting.
Introduce subtle purples or ochres into the shadows to break uniformity.
Use a limited palette with a full value range (light to dark).

Photo 2: Gnarled tree and tangled scrub

A stark, dead tree commands the foreground with expressive shapes. Beyond it, dry shrubs lead the eye to a soft, pale horizon.

Barren landscape with dead trees under a cloudy sky. Sparse greenery in the foreground, creating a desolate and somber mood. — Week 175: Murray Mallee, Australia. Photo Credit: @judithcrowleyart

Challenge as a photo: The tree form is dominant, but without color contrast it may blend in.

Focus Questions:

Could value alone carry the weight of this composition?
What hue shift could enhance the mood without breaking harmony?

Tips:

Use strong value contrast between the tree and background sky.
A cool sky and warm branches might be enough to create impact.
Let brushwork echo the dryness and twisted texture of the forms.

Photo 3: Bleached saltpan and skeletal trees

Stark terrain, nearly monochrome, creates an open space dotted with broken trunks. The distant vegetation gives only a slight tonal shift.

Barren landscape with dry, leafless trees scattered across a salt flat. Sparse patches of shrubs and a clear, pale sky in the background. — Week 175: Murray Mallee, Australia. Photo Credit: @judithcrowleyart

Challenge as a photo: So much pale ground risks becoming flat or empty.

Focus Questions:

Can you create texture through brushwork alone?
How do you maintain interest in high-key compositions?

Tips:

Mix subtle neutrals from your limited palette rather than use white directly.
Use broken edges or dry brushing to evoke texture and grain.
Keep shadows crisp and deliberate.

Photo 4: Salt edge and golden field

A contrasting backdrop — cultivated farmland — appears behind the native scrub. There’s a balance of warm and cool here, even if muted.

Dry landscape features sparse shrubs, fallen tree branches, and a salt flat. In the background, there are trees under a cloudy sky. — Week 175: Murray Mallee, Australia. Photo Credit: @judithcrowleyart

Challenge as a photo: There's a more obvious horizon here, but you’ll need to harmonize two very different zones.

Focus Questions:

Can you shift one part of the color scheme to unify the scene?
What does "limited" mean here: value? hue? temperature?

Tips:

Choose one dominant hue to unify foreground and background.
Let shapes (rather than color) do the storytelling.
Simplify small details — too much realism might distract from harmony.

This week is a great chance to train your eyes — and your brush — to see more by painting with less. Whether you’re using gouache, oils, digital, or pastels, try committing to 3–5 pigments or one primary triad. It will help you strengthen your value control and composition skills.

If this challenge inspires something new, don’t forget to share your work by next Thursday using #landscapeartclub175 and tagging @landscapeartclub on Instagram. Happy Painting!