Princeton Monarch brushes
I routinely disparage synthetic brushes. I’ve written about this topic several times on this blog. My collection of synthetics quickly resembles the brushes in this photo—mishapen hulks with limited usefulness. My opinion began to change several years ago when I used some synthetics that stood up to the beating from oil painting. I’ve steadily used
Caught cold in San Antonio
Whether it was the two flights to San Antonio, the graduation ceremony in the cold rain, or the two flights home, somewhere I caught a brutal cold. Ten days of coughing, sore throat, and runny nose With 1,500,000 people, San Antonio is huge; it’s the second-largest city in Texas and larger than any city in
Art lovers–bah!
I am not an art lover. I have no patience for those who wax elegant about art. Those who speak reverently on art as the new religion set my teeth on edge. For me, art is a necessity, like oxygen and food. Experiencing art is necessary, which is why I visit museums so frequently. Of
Review: Rublev paint
Rublev oil paint is excellent. Along with Harding, they are my choice for high-end oil paint. I’ve used Rublev oils frequently but only recently moved them into the top tier on my Oil Paint Brand Reference. I used some of their excellent lead whites over the past month and realized how fantastic this paint is.
Where are my workshops?
Reader lynnandjanice recently asked if I teach or hold workshops. I regularly get this question. Gifted teachers are rare. The first real art instructor I ever had when I was 13 possessed the gift. Her words imprinted themselves on me and unlocked the mysteries of drawing. I experienced something similar with a math teacher in
Cincinnati fail
When I graduated high school, I didn’t have the moral courage to go to New York, which is what I wanted to do. Instead, a friend and I applied to the Cincinnati Art Academy. She was devastated when she received a rejection letter. That effectively ended her art career. I didn’t get a rejection letter
Merry Christmas 2024
Sharing Christmas porn is an annual tradition here at Turpentine HQ. Every year, we promise to economize and tone down gift-giving. But, as you can see, we failed again. In our defense, our four children compete to outdo one another with their generosity. We have much to be thankful for this year. The world seems
Red River Gorge
We visited the Red River Gorge in Kentucky’s Daniel Boone National Forest in October. It’s beautiful there, especially in the fall. In addition to camping, fishing, and swimming opportunities, the Forest around the Gorge is crisscrossed by 200 hiking trails, like the one in my photo. Some trails are remote and difficult to access. The