Graduation Day is almost done. I teed it up today for the finish, but only shot par. I have to beat par–come on. Some things still bug me; the purple dress for one, and a couple of other things too. I like painting cars. There are two in Graduation Day. I am planning another painting that is…
I build paintings slowly. I spend a considerable amount of time on the drawing before touching a brush. Once painting starts, I try to work as efficiently as possible. It doesn’t always work out–so much can go awry. But the point of so much preparation is go get a painting to the finishing stage where…
I showed Sunday Parade once before when I probably should not have–it was too raw. It’s overcast today and the studio lights (even my ‘natural light’ lamps) wash-out the colors, but I think you can get a sense of what is going on. Sunday Parade is 42″ x 56.” Although Sunday Parade is an urban street scene,…
What is mineral spirits and how is it used in oil painting? Mineral spirits, or white spirits, is a petroleum-derived solvent. It is distilled from crude oil, and is related to kerosene. Mineral spirits and paint thinner are essentially the same thing. Paint thinner is less refined than mineral spirits and has undesirable byproducts, and, therefore, costs less.…
Someone recently asked about “oil of lavender.” Oil of spike is an essential oil distilled from lavender flowers. It has been used in oil painting for hundreds of years. Of the three most commonly used solvents, oil of spike (spike lavender) is the most powerful, followed by turpentine. Mineral spirits is the mildest.
Oil of spike lavender has a very pungent smell that many find attractive. It’s used, after all, in perfume and aroma therapy. It doesn’t irritate the skin as turpentine sometimes can. Artists bothered by turpentine or even odorless mineral spirits, can use it as an effective replacement. Its effect in painting is closer to that of turpentine than that of mineral spirits. It dries rapidly and leaves no undesired residue. I use it, but rarely. Its solvent power is too strong. I paint in layers and it can affect existing paint layers if they are not thoroughly dry. Plus, it’s more expensive than turpentine.
But it can be a wonderful addition to mediums. I sometimes substitute it for turpentine in mine. It can be an excellent corrective when combined with ingredients that are too thick, like stand oil or sun-dried oil.
If you are sensitive to turpentine, try oil of spike. It’s available at most art material suppliers. When used, it fills the studio with its very pleasant aroma.
[edit] I say it dries rapidly, which is true for all solvents. However, compared to mineral spirits and turpentine, spike oil dries much slower. This keeps solvent-thinned, fast-drying paint open–workable–for longer than the other solvents. This property can be important in some situations.
Art supplies are absurdly expensive. Artists have to pay Cadillac and boutique prices regardless of the quality of the goods, which varies widely. What’s worse is the cynicism of manufacturers. You can buy ‘genuine copal varnish’ that contains no copal–none. You can buy ‘genuine flake white’ that contains no lead–none. The list can go on and…
My large order of heavy-duty stretcher strips arrived from Jerry’s on Thursday. Enough stretchers and cross braces for 12 paintings: 6 @ 36″ x 48″; 6 @ 40″ x 50″. I am preparing three at a time–three of one size and then three of the other and so forth. Buying in bulk saves money plus I got them on sale–$275 for the lot. I have everything necessary to prepare the canvases–GAC 100, acrylic gesso, and oil ground. And the canvas, of course.
These 12 new canvases along with the 12 larger ones I prepared earlier (the biggest is 5′ x 6′) will keep me busy for awhile.
Linseed oil or walnut oil? Linseed oil has always been more widely used, but walnut oil has its defenders–sometimes passionate defenders. Leonardo was one such. Walnut oil yellows less than linseed oil, but it’s relative. I suspect the difference affects poor quality versions of the oils, with low quality linseed yellowing more than poor quality walnut.…