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. This study is…
Category: Uncategorized
materials, Shop Talk, Uncategorized
RGH vs Harding
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•Readers know about my obsession with The Great White–flake (lead) white paint. This all-important color is getting harder to find because some manufacturers stopped making it due to misguided health concerns and regulations. I’ve discussed the merits of lead white several times on this blog so I won’t repeat myself here. (Those wondering why I…
Bio, Shop Talk, Uncategorized, writing
A lot of mediums
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•I kept studio journals from the outset of my career. At first, I tracked my sales in the journal. Then I started tracking my supplies–the number and size of stretched canvases I had on hand, and other such things. Eventually, I started to use the journals as a daily record of the paintings on which…
Amusement Park series, Drawings, Uncategorized
Drawing study
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•I finished this large study for a painting I plan. Studies like this help me clarify my thoughts. When making a study, I almost always filter out elements–hardly ever add new ones. That’s what happened this time too. You probably can’t tell from this photo but I’ve removed several background figures as I worked on…
How to, materials, Reviews, Shop Talk, Uncategorized
Old Holland painting medium
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•No, I haven’t lifted my boycott against Old Holland. But a comment on this related post sent me looking at my dwindling stock of Old Holland supplies–things I bought pre-boycott. This photo shows my bottle of Old Holland Oil Painting medium. The ingredients are nowhere found on the label. Based on smell it contains linseed…
materials, Shop Talk, Uncategorized
Is there something wrong with stand oil?
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•After reading some of my disparaging remarks about stand oil, a reader asked me if there was something wrong with stand oil. The short answer is no, there is nothing wrong with stand oil. The longer answer is, well, complicated. An ancient and still common method to improve oil is to heat it. Heating oil…
Art history, Culture, Uncategorized
YouTube art instruction
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•If you are looking for art instruction videos, YouTube is loaded with them. That’s the good news–videos for every taste and interest. The bad news is that the quality is–to put it charitably–spotty. You get what you pay for. Of course, you know this, so why am I taking the time to discuss something so…