Category: materials

In the studio 4/5/15

I got some painting time this Easter morning with Washington Square. The under-painting is finished except for the figures behind and to the right of the white-shirted foreground figure. I finally(!) like the background beyond the pool. Washington Square is 44″ x 60.” The composition is based on several photos I took last summer in Greenwich…

In the studio 3/22/15

I don’t think I’ve shown this painting–Sunday Parade–before. According to my studio journal, today’s painting session is the fifth. It was too raw. Still is, really. The underpainting isn’t finished; but it’s far enough along that you can get a sense of where it’s going. This design is put together from several photos of Manhattan.…

Status
Tom Hudson

After several orders from RGH, I downgraded my rating to Quality: B (from A-). I modified my initial rating on my Oil Brand Reference but neglected to update the review. The reason for the downgrade is the cheap jars RGH uses for some of their colors. Their jars render the fast-drying colors, like the all-important lead white, useless because the colors dry too fast. I lost half of a 250 ml jar even after spraying the paint with water. I will not buy any more lead white from RGH until they use tubes for all colors and sizes.

Knot-riddled stretcher strips

Art supplies are absurdly expensive. Artists have to pay Cadillac and boutique prices regardless of the quality of the goods, which varies widely. What’s worse is the cynicism of manufacturers. You can buy ‘genuine copal varnish’ that contains no copal–none.  You can buy ‘genuine flake white’ that contains no lead–none.  The list can go on and…

Bad easel

I whined about my previously-praised easel earlier this month. I’ve had the Utrecht-branded easel less than a year, and I complained about having to replace one of its casters. The way the casters are attached is poorly implemented; once one detaches, it’s impossible to reattach.   While I was replacing the caster, the support brace split. #@!**@#!!! I glued…

In the studio 3/8/15

Yesterday’s painting session was the 4th for Taking Note. The underapinting is finished, which is fast (for me) considering it’s large size–42″ x 56″. But it’s only a single figure and the design is simple and straightforward. In the background on the floor is the new Sunday Parade, which is also 42″ x 56″. After several…

Status
Tom Hudson

My large order of heavy-duty stretcher strips arrived from Jerry’s on Thursday. Enough stretchers and cross braces for 12 paintings: 6 @ 36″ x 48″; 6 @ 40″ x 50″. I am preparing three at a time–three of one size and then three of the other and so forth. Buying in bulk saves money plus I got them on sale–$275 for the lot.  I have everything necessary to prepare the canvases–GAC 100, acrylic gesso, and oil ground. And the canvas, of course.

These 12 new canvases along with the 12 larger ones I prepared earlier (the biggest is 5′ x 6′) will keep me busy for awhile.