It’s really overcast today and the studio lights affect tones. It’s either the studio lights or a flash, which would be worse, so the photo isn’t very good. Picnic is 40″ x 56.” It’s oil over acrylic toned ground. The ground is the same as in the painting I finished yesterday, and, as with that painting, the…
Category: materials
materials, Reviews, Studio Corner, Tips and Studies, Uncategorized
Review: Charvin Fine Oils
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•I bought some cerulean blue from Charvin. Actually, Charvin doesn’t produce a true cerulean blue but something they call ‘cerulean blue hue.’ Charvin produces two lines of paints: Fine, and Extra Fine. This review is about the ‘Fine’ line. I don’t know what Charvin thinks cerulean blue is, but their cerulean blue hue is nothing like…
materials, Paintings, Studio Corner
In the studio 6/14/15
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•I had two more painting sessions on Washington Square. I finally got the pigeons in there (can you see all 7 of them*?). Washington Square has a hole in the middle which is supposedly a no-no. Cleveland has a painting by Poussin with the same empty center, and it’s very effective. It took me awhile to…
Bio, materials, Paintings, Studio Corner, Uncategorized
In the studio 5/3/15
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•I build paintings slowly. I spend a considerable amount of time on the drawing before touching a brush. Once painting starts, I try to work as efficiently as possible. It doesn’t always work out–so much can go awry. But the point of so much preparation is go get a painting to the finishing stage where…
materials, Paintings, Shop Talk, Studio Corner, Uncategorized
In the studio 4/19/15
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•I showed Sunday Parade once before when I probably should not have–it was too raw. It’s overcast today and the studio lights (even my ‘natural light’ lamps) wash-out the colors, but I think you can get a sense of what is going on. Sunday Parade is 42″ x 56.” Although Sunday Parade is an urban street scene,…
materials, Shop Talk, Tips and Studies, Uncategorized
What is mineral spirits
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•What is mineral spirits and how is it used in oil painting? Mineral spirits, or white spirits, is a petroleum-derived solvent. It is distilled from crude oil, and is related to kerosene. Mineral spirits and paint thinner are essentially the same thing. Paint thinner is less refined than mineral spirits and has undesirable byproducts, and, therefore, costs less.…
Someone recently asked about “oil of lavender.” Oil of spike is an essential oil distilled from lavender flowers. It has been used in oil painting for hundreds of years. Of the three most commonly used solvents, oil of spike (spike lavender) is the most powerful, followed by turpentine. Mineral spirits is the mildest.
Oil of spike lavender has a very pungent smell that many find attractive. It’s used, after all, in perfume and aroma therapy. It doesn’t irritate the skin as turpentine sometimes can. Artists bothered by turpentine or even odorless mineral spirits, can use it as an effective replacement. Its effect in painting is closer to that of turpentine than that of mineral spirits. It dries rapidly and leaves no undesired residue. I use it, but rarely. Its solvent power is too strong. I paint in layers and it can affect existing paint layers if they are not thoroughly dry. Plus, it’s more expensive than turpentine.
But it can be a wonderful addition to mediums. I sometimes substitute it for turpentine in mine. It can be an excellent corrective when combined with ingredients that are too thick, like stand oil or sun-dried oil.
If you are sensitive to turpentine, try oil of spike. It’s available at most art material suppliers. When used, it fills the studio with its very pleasant aroma.
[edit] I say it dries rapidly, which is true for all solvents. However, compared to mineral spirits and turpentine, spike oil dries much slower. This keeps solvent-thinned, fast-drying paint open–workable–for longer than the other solvents. This property can be important in some situations.materials, Paintings, Shop Talk, Studio Corner, Tips and Studies
In the studio 4/12/15
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•I had another painting session with Graduation Day this morning, primarily on the pig-tailed girl. I spent a lot of time on her hands and the key chain she’s holding. I’m starting to like the pig tail. Most of the background is done in this painting–the sky, cars, buildings, and ground, although the right-hand mass…