Studio journal 12/26/16
I worked on the 48″ x 48″ oil, Two Cakes. Two Cakes has been long in hand. I really do not like the surface; a commercial canvas by Fredrix. I bought an assortment of Fredrix canvases from a NJ supplier who was going out of business. Even though I got a great deal on the
Studio journal 12/18/16
Bitter winter has hit NE Ohio. The highs are in the single digits. Days are dark and gloomy, so when the sun poured into the studio, it was cheering. The blinds-streaked sunlight is a happy sight, eh? The canvases have transformed into a riot of color.
Studio journal 12/11/16
I thought I was going to finally finish Main Street #1 today but I fell short. I am still not satisfied with the right-most figure. So, I keep working until I’m happy with it. Today I used walnut oil that I bought from James Groves. Really good stuff–for walnut oil. As I’ve written before, James really
In the studio 12/4/16
I worked on 4 paintings today, including the 3 small portraits in this photograph. Recently, I wrote about breaking my palette knife again. My favorite knife is (was) marketed as a painting knife, although I rarely used it for that purpose. But I painted with a knife today. I finished Garth in a Yankees Cap with a
Palette knives
In January, I wrote about breaking my stalwart palette knife. After using the knife daily for years, I really miss it. It was like losing a hand. I have plenty of knives but the one that broke was my favorite. So I ordered three replacement knives–model Richeson 830 just like the one that broke. You can
RGH and Blue Ridge oils
Along with Winsor Newton, Blue Ridge and RGH oils get a lot of use on my palette. The categories I use to rate manufacturers in my oil paint brand reference–low-end, mid-range, and high-end–are based on price and quality. While there is a lot of churn in the low-end category, most brands are student-grade and
In the studio 11/27/16
Visit to the Square is part of the Playhouse Square series. I worked on it yesterday and today. It’s early evening now and the light is gone but I plan to work on it some more before finishing for the day–the figure on the lower-right. Visit to the Square is 40″ x 50″.
In the studio 11/25/16
I worked on Three Women in Sandals. I toyed with calling the painting The Three Graces… I have always had a hard time settling on names for paintings and the problem seems to be getting worse. The issue is that one can only use “Portrait of a Woman” or “Portrait of a Man” only a