In the studio 3/1/15
I worked the past several days on finishing the under-painting of The Woman in Purple Boots. The Woman in Purple Boots is 40″ x 50″ which is a nice size and format. I’m thinking of preparing a batch of canvases that size, say 4-5. I often prepare batches of the same size. Last year, I prepared 7-8 canvases that are
Linseed or walnut?
Linseed oil or walnut oil? Linseed oil has always been more widely used, but walnut oil has its defenders–sometimes passionate defenders. Leonardo was one such. Walnut oil yellows less than linseed oil, but it’s relative. I suspect the difference affects poor quality versions of the oils, with low quality linseed yellowing more than poor quality walnut.
In the studio 2/22/15
This 30″ x 40″ oil was almost among the unfinished paintings recently purged. Instead, things started clicking during yesterday’s session. I will finish it. The canvas is from a batch of canvases I prepared a year or so ago. All were finished the same way and were the say size–30″ x 40″. The ground on
Purge
Winter time; bitter, bitter cold. More snow this morning. I’ve written before about the benefits of working on a lot of paintings simultaneously. Working this way allows paint layers to dry thoroughly. Painting over a layer too soon leads to bad problems (to use a technical term), such as cracking and sinking in. Working this way
In the studio 2/18/15
The under-painting is done on The Photographer. All color areas are close to their planned final tone. Having said that, no part of the painting is finished; with the figure being the least finished. I’m happy with the stool and the hat. This 36″ x 48″ painting is thematically close to the similarly-sized The Explainer, which was
The lady who gave up
Fresh off the boat that summer; I was a wide-eyed kid in New York for the first time. I gorged myself on galleries and museums. I was as fresh and raw as a nineteen-year-old can be. One day I was in a Madison Avenue gallery when an elegantly dressed older woman entered. As I was the only
Ladies Celebrating Diwali
What are they doing? What’s happening in this dark and mysterious scene? The full moon broods over several women holding lights or sparklers over their heads, much as revelers in the U.S. do on the 4th of July. In the distance, jets of fireworks illuminate the night sky. In the middle distance, pleasure seekers watch the fireworks from boats on
In the studio 2/15/15
After a marathon 13-hour session with The Picnic, I think I’ve wrestled it to the ground. The Picnic has fought me since day one.. First, the canvas, from a sub-par batch of cotton duck, wants to sag against the cross bar. Worse is the lousy ground. I’m always looking for efficiencies and this time it