Bristle brushes
Even though I sometimes disparage bristle brushes, I use them all the time. I use them for medium or broad passages–not for finer areas. Like most students, I was taught…
Don’t go to art school
Peter Thiel, the founder of PayPal, likes to say that degrees from the nonprestigious schools are just expensive dunce caps. He means that today higher education is close to worthless,…
Turpentine diaries 11/25/17
Yesterday’s Thanksgiving holiday was wonderful at our house. We had three of our children here to share my wife’s delicious turkey and stuffing. Daughter Jane baked an apple pie, and son Keith…
Turpentine diaries 9/23/18
Down on Prospect Avenue? Prospect Avenue? Prospect? Down on Prospect? The latter is the name I plan to stick with. This painting is almost finished. My habit is to put…
Turpentine diaries 6/23/19
Today I had several more sessions on Directions. I posted a video of me working on some of the small, background figures.
How to–grounds
Most artists do not know how to prepare grounds for oil painting. I know this is true because none of my teachers were able to prepare acceptable grounds, and none…
Turpentine diaries 7/23/17
Break is finally done. I struggled with the surface from the beginning which resulted in more sessions than usual. I won’t bore you with the details; the surface isn’t awful–it’s…
Turpentine diaries 3/4/18
The one thing I dislike about my current studio is that it doesn’t have north-facing windows. The direct, late afternoon light makes taking photos a challenge. I took a photo…