In the Studio 3/10/2013
With the temperatures near 70, it felt like Spring. What a difference a week makes! Keith got his baseball stuff out and John and I went to the marina to inspect the Betty Jane. All…
Year: 2013
In the Studio 3/3/2013
The light was poor this morning but improved as the day worn on; eventually the sun made an appearance. March has been an extension of February which was an extension of January--in other words, it's…
Lawrence’s Annoying Paintings at the Cleveland Museum of Art
I have nothing against Thomas Lawrence, indeed, I like his work, but—good grief!—he could make some annoying paintings. The Cleveland Museum of Art has two of the offending paintings hanging side-by-side. Lawrence (died 1830) had…
Thumbs-up: Neel, Thumbs-up (also): Pearlstein
By happenstance or cunning plan, The Cleveland Museum of Art has two large paintings hanging next to each other by artists of whom I am fond-- Alice Neel and Philip Pearlstein. Juxtaposed this way, the…
Tips for Using a Grid
I frequently use a grid to enlarge designs for paintings. It’s my preferred method for transferring designs from one medium into another (except watercolors). What do I use to create a grid? Good question. The…
Transferring Designs to Canvas
I routinely transfer designs as I rework subjects in various mediums. There are several standard methods for transferring designs to a target surface. One long-used method was to prepare a cartoon to the exact dimensions of the…
Turpentine Tip
Put some Venice turpentine into your everyday turpentine (10:1 turpentine to Venice turpentine). You could substitute larch turpentine or Canada balsam for Venice turpentine, both of which are easy to obtain. The admixture of Venice…
Spray Varnish
Varnish is a sore subject. I’ve nearly spoiled some of my own paintings with poor varnish, and I’ve had so-called ‘professionals’ ruin paintings (one frame shop owner in Trenton, NJ left brush hairs in the…