I applied the second and last oil ground to this new 44″ x 60″ canvas. I made the tone by adding a little burnt umber and burnt sienna to the Williamsburg lead-oil ground. I applied the ground with a scrapper as usual. After letting it cure for a few weeks, I’ll prepare a drawing for it.
Here’s a small brag. Notice the small amount of ground leftover on the palette?
When you create a toned ground like this, it’s easy to make too much or too little. It’s an annoying waste when you make too much, but it’s worse if you don’t make enough. It’s a challenge to mix more of the exact same tone. This time I made just the right amount.
My father was a builder and it was famously said of him that when he completed a construction project, there wasn’t enough scrap to start a fire. He knew exactly what materials were required by the project. I’ll never be as good as him on that ground as well as many others.
My father was dead set against me becoming an artist. Once, my friend and I went together to Cincinnati to apply to the art school there. Several weeks later, my girlfriend was cast down when she received a rejection. My rejection letter never came. I concluded that my portfolio was so bad the school didn’t even bother to respond–why waste a stamp and envelope?
Later I learned that my father had intercepted my letter and hidden it from me. I discovered that not only had I been accepted but that I was given a full scholarship.
My father and I had our moments. Luckily we were on good terms by the time he died.