Review: Killing Commendatore
I became familiar with the Japanese author Haruki Murakami during my current fiction-gorging phase. How could I have been unfamiliar with such a gifted author? It's not an excuse but I go through long periods…
Category: Reviews
Review: Master’s Touch
Hobby Lobby, for those like me who hadn't shopped there before, is a craft supermarket that also does a brisk business in frames and framing. They carry art supplies too--stretchers, acrylics, brushes, and oil paints.…
Review: Of Human Bondage
I've had this experience a lot lately. Maybe you have too. You reread a book that you once admired only to discover that it doesn't resemble in the least what you remember about it. When…
RGH vs Utrecht
A reader asks wether I prefer Utrecht flake white or RGH's. To answer the question directly: I prefer Utrecht (barely). Utrecht covers better and has more body. To demonstrate this, I share a simple side-by-side…
Grove’s heat-polymerized oil
It's true that I've used the same medium for several years. That doesn't stop me from trying new materials--far from it! My invariable practice provides a baseline to which I can compare the new materials…
RGH Atelier Series oil
I bought a small 4 oz-bottle of RGH's Atelier Series of refined linseed to oil to test. According to RGH's website, the Atelier Series is "...clarified, hand-washed, cold pressed linseed and walnut oils. No heat,…
Alchemist’s alchemy
WHAT WAS THE SECRET OF THE OLD MASTERS? THE ALCHEMISTS KNEW...AND SO SHALL YOU! That bold claim was printed on the (hilarious) instruction sheet tied to the products sold by the Alchemist. The Alchemist no…
