Blendability is an important skill, though not appropriate in all situations.
I've discovered that matte Duralar is a wonderful surface to work on with oilsticks: smooth but not slick, very good for blending and wiping effects. I have it on good authority that you can use solvents with it, too, but since I am determined to be totally solvent-free in the studio I have not tried that.
Desaturating the images, I find I like them alot in black & white... but I've yet to make any really successful b/w artworks, though. My persistent love of colour gets in the way *laughs*
Somewhere, somewhen, I read that muted colours (ie: greys & taupes) are considered more civilized, and colourful colours more savage, so to speak. I imagine that would be tied to how close to the surface one's emotions are allowed to be in a given situation. Today's home designers certainly encourage a very limited palette in narrow tonal ranges, for the most part. There's blendability for you.
My brain understands the muted logic, but my brain does not rule in the studio. Colour brings me joy, and it seems to bring other people joy, too.
If the point is to shine a light in dark times, bring on the colour, I say.
P.S. Click here to see water-based media on clear, glossy duralar, it's the second image in the post.
P.P.S. and a link to a subsequent post showing photos of the exhibition installed. A good memory... I hope to be able to create immersive exhibitions again, in fact have got some work already headed that way, and a possible venue for it too. More about that later, though. ;-)