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…
Category: materials
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…
Busy palette
I prepared today's medium and took yesterday's palette out of the butcher's tray where I store it. (The rectangular palette is my workaday palette; I only use the traditional oval one to mix certain tones.) I…
Synthetic brushes
I wrote about my antipathy toward synthetic brushes. This photo illustrates the point I made in the linked post. The four synthetic brushes on the left are old and misshapen. In my experience, synthetics quickly lose their…
In the studio 12/23/15
What better time to work on a summer-themed painting than in the middle of winter. Keith and Jane Aboard the Betty Jane is going slowly because I'm taking my time with the water. There is a…
About mastic-based mediums
Recently, I wrote about my experience with maroger--a mastic-based medium. Maroger was my standard medium for a period, although I haven't used it in a number of years. I stopped using it because details are…
In the studio 12/6/15
I spent most of my time recently working on new paintings that are still too raw to show. I am also working on a new cycle of pieces that are still in the drawing stage. I…
In the studio 11/1/15
The ground on this painting, Three Women (VW Bug), is wonderful. It's a traditional oil ground applied over acrylic gesso. A traditional oil ground is essentially white oil paint with the addition of chalk. The chalk makes…