Turpentine diaries 8/6/17
The Delegate is 36″ x 48″. It still has a way to go. It’s another painting with an annoying surface. I’ve written a lot recently about painting surfaces, I know. I bought a large roll of canvas two years ago, which enables me to monitor how changes to the painting surface can affect performance. All the
Turpentine diaries 7/6/17
My wife and youngest son are visiting the Jersey Shore and I miss them, so yesterday I took up Millie Talking to Her Friends. The Millie in the painting is my wife’s grandmother. Millie has been in-hand for some time but I’ve had just 3-4 sessions with it. After working on Millie and several other
Studio journal 6/11/17
Good day after a bad day. I was so excited to get into the studio yesterday, I was mixing my medium at 5:30 AM. I make my medium fresh every day. It’s very drying and if I prepare it beforehand, it’s too firm. But I do prepare one of the ingredients in advance–the varnish. I
Studio journal 5/21/17
I was able to spend time with this painting yesterday, working all over it. Girl in the Lavender Dress is based on a mash-up of several photos. It’s part of the Playhouse Square. series. I also painted a small oil study yesterday. I am using RGH’s “extra fine” flake white. After two days, it handles well
Goodbye, Old Holland
Goodbye, Old Holland, I’m done with you. In my Oil Paint Brand Reference, I rated the Old Holland (OH) brand as top; best in breed among high-end brands. Its dense pigmentation gives it unrivaled covering power and performance. Funny thing though, I noticed that lately there are no OH paints on my palette. Why? Price. Their
Studio journal 5/7/17
I worked on these two paintings today before my daughter and I went to the marina to work on The Betty Jane. The left-hand painting, The Delegate, is sailing along, to use a nautical allusion. Two days ago, I lightly varnished it with my special varnish. Now, the surface is really sweet and the colors no longer
Boating season soon
Even though the winter was mild, we are just now at the beginning of the boating season. The Betty Jane is the middle boat in this photo. It’s shrink-wrapped like its winter-storage neighbrors. Shrink wrapping protects the boats during winter storage and, as you can see, it’s commonly done in marinas along Lake Erie in
Can’t wait to start painting
After preparing my palette and getting a cup of tea, I was met by cheery sunlight when I reentered the studio. The morning had been gray and gloomy, so the unexpected light was uplifting. I couldn’t wait to get started. I am restretching the large painting in the background–The Offensive. I replaced the two