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 lot of Lake Erie in this 48″ x 60″ painting. When it’s finished, the water on the right-side will be…
Today’s was the fourth painting session on Girl in the Purple Boots II. I think it’s far enough along now that you can get a sense of what it is about. I’m in my second pass with the painting. The first pass is a rough-in with local color (each pass can take a number of sessions).…
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 difficult and, because it is such a soft resin, paintings are prone to scratch or show other surface insults. My…
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 had to order a box of pencils. I also got some new sharpeners. I do not like the electric type.…
I’ve posted little this week. The flu sapped my energy and I preserved what little of it I had for painting and drawing. Most days, I got very little work done, and what I did exhausted me. But I am feeling better–knock wood. I had my first three painting sessions with Victory Park I during this…
When the painting ground (surface) isn’t up to snuff paintings take longer. The ground for The Photographer is one of the poor ones. A small change in the preparation can have a major effect. I’ll not repeat the same experiment again. It’s taking a long time to get the surface right–sensitive and firm. I spent…
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 the ground more covering and absorbent than oil paint alone, even when sanded. It’s really great to paint on. I…
Most of modern arts journalism is marketing. One infrequently encounters critical journalism these days. A recent article in Canadian journal The Walrus is pretty typical. The piece, A Portrait of the artist’s Studio, is about the photographer Joseph Hartman’s series of portraits of artists’–Canadian artists–studios. I was not familiar with any of the artists. The photos…