In the corner of the ruined room,
she was crying,
frightened of herself
and angry at us.
‘Freedom is full of monsters.
Just get out.’
I ran to summer
in the next room,
where the Goes Orchestral band members,
led by the red-haired midget on saxophone,
made intricate, drug-induced patterns on the stage.
On and on played they.
I wish they were more self-critical.
Considering today is Keith’s birthday, it’s fitting to be working on paintings for which he posed. Both paintings are almost finished. My wife laughs when I say this because I am notorious for reworking ‘finished’ paintings. I’m liable to pick up a finished work at any time and start in if I see something that…
Here’s a tube of Blockx that’s gone bad. Phtalo green is so strong it overpowers other colors so I don’t use it often, but even so this tube should still be usable. I have other tubes that are much older. As you can see, this tube of phtalo green has become so firm that it can…
Do you remember your first encounters with great art? I vividly recall my introduction to certain artists–life-changing discoveries that revolutionized my views about art. The composer Berlioz recalled his introduction to Shakespeare this way: “Shakespeare, coming upon me unawares, struck me like a thunderbolt. The lightning flash of that sublime discovery opened before me at…
Added Richeson and Grumbacher to the table and updated information about the types of oils used in binders; updated several ratings.
The best oil I’ve used has been cold-pressed linseed oil. Cold-pressed oil combines with colors well, and doesn’t ‘suede’ like refined oils. Cold-pressing refers to extracting oil from flax seeds with a mill or press and without heat or chemical processes. The resulting oil is highly acidic, which is why it combines well with pigment.…
I updated the oil paint brand list with information about the binders used by some manufacturers (Blockx, Old Holland, Michael Hadring, Blue Ridge, and Holbein). I also downgraded my ratings for Blue Ridge. I prefer cold-pressed linseed to alkali refined method they use. They also use a blend of walnut and linseed oils. Finally, I’ve used paint from Michael Harding (ultramarine blue) which seems very good, but I haven’t used it enough to rate it.
Today I worked on these paintings. Both are titled ‘Main Street.’ Each is taken from a one-block area of–you guessed it–Main Street in our small town. #1 (bottom painting) might end up being called ‘Antique Shop,’ or some-such. While not identical, both are roughly the same size. As you can see from the photograph, both…