In the studio 1/31/16
I have to laugh when I see my homemade mahl stick in one of these photos. Hey! It does the job, and its large size is useful on large paintings. Two Cakes hit a wall. Sometimes I get blind and can no longer ‘see’ the painting. I’ve learned from experience that that is usually related
Oil paint brand update: Grumbacher
I didn’t rate Grumbacher Pre-tested paints when I created its entry in my Oil Paint Brand reference. I associate Grumbacher with my impoverished student days and hadn’t used their paints in years, so I couldn’t rate the brand. I recently bought several tubes and tried them. My memory proved to be right. Grumbacher is a high-end
In the studio 1/24/16
The light today, for once this winter, is good. I worked on these two paintings this morning. I finished (I think) the small (20″ x 24″), gray study. I wrote about this painting before. It is a study for a larger treatment. I finished the to-scale drawing on a sheet of paper then transferred it
Snow-crusted Lake Erie
The east coast is blasted by a historical storm–over two feet of snow in Washington. Airports from NC to New England are closed. For once, the worst weather in the eastern part of the country isn’t over us here in NE Ohio. The weather has been very winter-like lately but, overall, the winter has been
In the studio 1/16/16
I worked on the two small paintings in the photo’s upper-center today. I finished the small (20″ x 24″) painting of the boy, Keith Fishing. I have been disciplined lately and worked exclusively on large paintings, some of which you can see, but I’m itching for a change of pace. I might spend some time–several
I broke my palette knife
I broke my palette knife this morning, the one I’ve used everyday for 10 years. I was doing what I do every day–creating my usual assortment of mixtures to go with my tube colors–when my stalwart palette knife snapped. The worn handle is on the left in the photograph. The blade is next to it and still
I missed London’s National Gallery’s exhibit, Goya: The Portraits
I have always liked Goya. During my printmaking period, Goya’s prints were constantly before my mind. The highlight of my visit to New York’s Metropolitan last year was a Goya painting. This fall I hoped to attend London’s National Gallery’s exhibit, Goya: The Portraits. Unfortunately, I was not able to join my daughter in England where she was studying, and, so, missed the exhibition
In the studio 1/3/16
The first In the studio post of the new year. On the Square is part of my Playhouse Square series. There are 15 figures in the 48″ x 60″ painting (16 if you count a figure reflected in a window). I’ve spent most of the past two weeks working on this painting. I spent several (5!) days just on