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Covid fairy
Two Fridays back, I became tired and took a nap. I never take naps so everyone instantly knew I was sick. My body ached and I couldn't get warm. I remained in bed from Friday…
Review: Cranfield oil paint
Part of a recent paint buy included a tube of Cranfield's King's blue deep, which I'd bought in order to review. The Cranfield brand is new to me and King's blue is not a palette…
Teaching myself Latin
Most of what I know about mankind's accumulated knowledge I've learned through translation. As scholarship has become politicized, one would be foolish to continue trusting the translators or their translations. Why not read the original…
Preparing a big painting
Lately, my paintings are in the 40" x 60" range. For example, the painting in this photo, The Fair, is 44" x 60." My next big painting ups the scale. The grided canvas in the…
Eagles above us
American bald eagles are nested here. Yesterday I was able to get some photos of the eagles cartwheeling and cavorting above our house. There are a lot of bird species here: gulls (of course), herons,…
Another canvas ready
I applied the second and last oil ground to this new 44" x 60" canvas. I made the tone by adding a little burnt umber and burnt sienna to the Williamsburg lead-oil ground. I applied…
Changeable Lake Erie
Because Lake Erie is the shallowest of the Great Lakes, it's very changeable. Mild storms can transform into violet cataclysms instantly. Inexperienced boaters are regularly caught out. Small boats swamped while desperately making for the…