Small oil sketch
This recently finished sketch is on a canvas board that was prepared as I described in an earlier post. I deviated from my normal medium with the addition of a small amount of stand oil. We lived close to the State hospital in Trenton for several years in a neighborhood called Hilltonia. Hilltonia is a
In the studio 12/8/2013
I like the sensuous lines in this simple pose. My daughter Jane is used to her dad snapping photos at any time. She was helping me at the marina when I took this. I can’t remember what we were doing or why I had my camera with me. About 20% of my photos get into
Update to Oil Paint Brands
I continue to update the survey of oil paint brands. I have been using a lot of paint from the small producer Blue Ridge Colors. I am constantly on the lookout for reliable day-to-day paints, that is, paints that are good quality and reasonably priced. In this pursuit, I’ve recently used Rembrandt, Winsor Newton, and
Study: Making ‘The Call’ Part 4
OK, so where are we now? The under-painting is done and the finishing work is started. To recap, my process is divided into several stages: Design/Drawing: I draw the deign with pencil then fix it with ink. The drawing is a plan: I work through every area and identify any issues. I can change the
Tip: Closer, Farther
Have you ever struggled with a passage even though you know the colors and tones are right? One corrective, especially when the tones are extremely close, is to ensure that closer forms are painted over those farther back. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen works spoiled when things farther away are painted over
Painting Mediums Revisited
Someone asked why I fudged the proportion of varnish in my medium recipe. Varnishes differ widely from one another. Some are made with oil and some are made with thinner. Some start concentrated with the expectation that they will be thinned later, while others are already thinned to some desired consistency. Damar, which along with
Bad, Bad, Bad (ingredients)
Anyone who knows me knows that one of my hot button issues is premium-priced art supplies that are actually inferior, or, as is often the case, pure crap. So don’t get me started. Recently I opened a bottle of black oil from Williamsburg. Although the bottle had been purchased some time back, to my disgust,
Painting Mediums
Painting mediums are a never-ending topic for discussion and debate among artists. Mediums profoundly affect how oil paint handles, and many preparations are complicated or dangerous, filled with ancient lore and alchemical processes. Oil by its nature is flowing and slow drying, qualities that during the early Renaissance led to the birth of large-format paintings