My fav…raw umber
Next to lead white, raw umber is my most-used color. Because it’s fast drying, it’s ideal for every use case, whether I’m making a quick sketch or preparing the underpainting on a large painting. Additionally, its high transparency means it can produce the widest range of tones. Raw umber has always been on my palette,
Drawing is always the solution
The question is, “How do I fix my stuck painting?” The answer is always drawing. When one of my paintings stalls, drawing is the cure. My most successful paintings started with studies where I clarified the ideas that inspired the painting. I get in trouble when I cut corners to save time. Read moreIn the
Sinking in (canvases)
I always try to be as efficient as possible with my paintings. But I’m also cheap. The combination of efficiency and cheapness has frequently caused me headaches. Instead of saving time and money, I’ve wasted both in my often wrong-footed efforts to save money. I prefer smooth painting surfaces but instead of buying the ultra-smooth
What’s in the kitchen
This corner of my studio shows two paintings that I’m working on. The unfinished painting on the floor is the latest in my Main Street series. The large vertical painting is the newest work in my Amusement Park series. I had my first painting session with it yesterday. I’ll continue to work both of these
More painting designs
I finished the drawing for this painting which is the latest in my Amusement Park Series. I’ve pushed the drawing on the canvas farther than usual to clarify the complicated relationships among the 16 or so figures. The drawing is lead pencil which allows more precision than charcoal. You might wonder why I spend so
Amusement Park Series update
My Amusement Park Series absorbs most of my time. The series contains a lot of large watercolors that I will share soon. But of course, the lion’s share of time is spent with the oils. Most of the works in the series are oils. Here are two oils in the series. The topmost painting, The
Starting a painting
Everyone knows how to start a painting, right? You take up your brush and begin–what’s the problem? Joking aside, if you want to create a sketch or study, that IS exactly how you start. That approach is fine until you want to create something more ambitious. If you intend to create a piece that’s large,
What happened to Kremer pigments?
The Germany-based art supplier Kremer was the best source for hard-to-find items not long ago. Now? It’s impossible to complete orders online, not difficult–impossible. I recently attempted to place an online order with Kremer’s U.S. location. The order contained two items that Kremer flagged with special handling requirements. One of the items is black oil