Update to Oil Paint Brands
I continue to update the survey of oil paint brands. I have been using a lot of paint from the small producer Blue Ridge Colors. I am constantly on the lookout for reliable day-to-day paints,…
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In the Studio 9/16/2013
Here is a photo of paintings I've worked over the last several days. [caption id="attachment_2550" align="aligncenter" width="500"] In the studio 9/15/2013[/caption] None are finished, although the bottom-most is nearest to being done. I've spent a…
Study: Making ‘The Call’ Part 4
OK, so where are we now? The under-painting is done and the finishing work is started. To recap, my process is divided into several stages: Design/Drawing: I draw the deign with pencil then fix it…
Tip: Closer, Farther
Have you ever struggled with a passage even though you know the colors and tones are right? One corrective, especially when the tones are extremely close, is to ensure that closer forms are painted over…
In the Studio 8/25/2013
My wife hates this unfinished self-portrait. She says it doesn't look anything like me--I look a bit crazed. Ha! [caption id="attachment_2528" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Recent works on the easel[/caption] In the recent batch of self-portraits, I…
Poem: Full-Blood Moon
Through the narrow window, the full-blood moon floated in the black water of the bathtub, next to where you laid with your face against the wall sobbing. Pressing my cheek to yours, I glimpsed, the…
In the Studio 8/18/2013
A favorite chair. I have used a white lawn chair in my paintings several times. I like its sensuous shape and the matte color provides an interesting contrast to the objects around it. The two…
Painting Mediums Revisited
Someone asked why I fudged the proportion of varnish in my medium recipe. Varnishes differ widely from one another. Some are made with oil and some are made with thinner. Some start concentrated with the…