The Solution

I've been fretting about the in-your-face-purple wall. What to do to tone it down? Finally, it occurred to me: the complementary color of violet is yellow, but in the world of oil painting, that encompasses ochres and siennas as well as the more obvious yellows. And one of my favorite colors, but one that I rarely use because it is so transparent, is Raw Sienna. The ochres are a bit too opaque for what I needed here, so I went with a glaze wash of Raw Sienna and then used an ordinary house painter's brush to smooth it out. 

                                          I Was There Once, Too, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)