Archive for June, 2010
To Each His Own
Everyone has his or her own criteria as to what constitutes art. For some the work must display some set of talent as prescribed by classical artists, but for others the definition is more obscure. Personally, I ascribe to the school of thought that recognizes a vast range of art. And while I enjoy many styles of painting, abstract oil paintings are my unequivocal favorite.
While I enjoy realism in painting, I feel more connection with the pieces that are abstract. When an artist simply recreates a landscape or still life, I get the same impression as when I look at a photograph; I enjoy the beauty of the subject, but I fail to feel any serious connection to the artist. With abstract art, on the other hand, the artist’s own interpretation of the subject is palpable, which creates more feeling in the piece.
Another Word about Glazing
There is another option if you aren’t interested in making your own glaze for oil paintings. Liquin is a glaze that can be purchased at many craft stores and is often used.
When applying the glaze, a brush can be used. Sometimes a stiff brush called a stippling brush is used to even out the glaze. For a softer or thinner application, a rag or toe of an old sock filled with cotton can be used to dab on the glaze and to soften the edges.
I came across this quote from a non-glazer: If you hear a voice within you say, “you can’t paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced”. …Vincent van Gogh
Richard Robinson, New Zealand Artist
Friday’s letter from Robert Genn was about Mastering Colour. He explained some of the difficulties of same, and from the comments, a lot of people must have difficulty mastering color.
He noted that a subscriber and friend, Richard Robinson, a New Zealand artist, has an excellent downloadable video called Mastering Colour, with printable lesson notes. All is free! Go to www.livepaintinglessons.com and sign up for your free painting videos and then confirm from the email they send you. When I clicked on the link to confirm, I landed back on the page to sign up. That seemed odd, but it must have been OK, because I found Lesson #1 in my inbox!
Robert Genn, Canadian Artist
Robert Genn is one of Canada’s must accomplished landscape painters. He paints in acrylics and writes a twice weekly letter which is free, and to which I subscribe.
You, too , can subscribe by going to www.robertgenn.com and click on “Painter’s Keys” at the bottom of the page. Your letter will arrive every Tuesday and Friday mornings in your inbox.
Many artists comment about his letters and include their own paintings. Sometimes I find it as interesting to read the comments as to read the letters.
Recipe for a Glaze
When I searched Google for “recipes for glazes for oil painting”, many comments were about a method of imparting color to oil painting by adding a thin darker layer of nearly transparent color over a dried, lighter color already laid down on the canvas. However, I did find a couple of specific formulations.
The one I shall give you has 4 ingredients. 1) Stand oil is a specifically refined linseed oil, of honey-like consistency, non-yellowing and has a tendency to flow smoothly to an enamel effect – just what you’d want in a glaze. 2) Damar varnish is a solution of damar resin in turpentine. I believe it’s purpose is as a dryer, but I could find nothing in the literature that said that. 3) Turpentine is the main vehicle for mixing all this, and 4) Cobalt drier is another dryer.
This is a typical recipe and “gives good results for all-round purposes and is in wide use”.
Stand Oil 1 fluid ounce
Damar varnish [5-pound cut] 1 fluid ounce
Pure gum spirits of turpentine 5 fluid ounces
Cobalt drier 15 drops
[Mayer, Ralph. The Painter's Craft. An Introduction to Artist's Methods and Materials. Revised and updated by Steven Sheehan, Director of the Ralph Mayer Center, Yale University School of Art. New York: Penquin Group. 1948. 1991.]
The Art Walk in My Town
Friday night there was an Art Walk in my home town. Since I had entered a landscape painting, I decided to attend the opening.
Five prizes were to be given: First, Second, and Third best and two Honorable Mentionsl The judge was a lady who had a Masters degree in Art, formerly lived in New Jersey, but moved here recently and was teaching at a local private school. About midway through the evening, she was introduced and explained why she chose those particular honorees.
Later, I asked her to critique my painting. She liked the lines and colors, but suggested that I put a glaze on it. The glaze would consist of turpentine, linseed oil and a small amount of damar varnish and I could find a recipe on the internet. She said that when brushstrokes are supposed to be seen and are, that is good. When they are not supposed to be seen, but are, this is distracting. (Some parts of my painting were shinier than others because the oil was thicker there.) At any rate, I was grateful for her comments.
The Roofer
Sometimes life just has plans for you! Take today, for instance. The shingles for the roof came yesterday and today the roofer was coming to take off part of the old ones and put on some of the new. I didn’t really feel like going off to paint with the roofer there, but I did want to paint.
It seems like I always have some oil paintings that need a touch up, or need to have their edges painted. So I worked on those in my studio and every hour or so took out a bottle of water to the roofer whose wife is a friend of mine!
Using the Art Tracker
Recently, I wrote about a book I had received, “Starving” to Successful, by Jason Horejs. He is the owner of Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ, www.xanadugallery.com .
I ordered his software, Art Tracker, which helps an artist keep track of the inventory, and began getting acquainted with it. For each painting, I need an inventory number which, when once chosen, automatically increases by one. Then I need to enter the name, size, type (oil, acrylic, etc.), price, and date created. He says to not put the date created on the back of the painting. This is where I am now.
Later I will record the gallery in which it is hanging, the sale price and date sold or returned. If I had started this a few years ago when I began to be serious about oil painting, it would have shown a clearer picture of my growth.
The Gallery Show
I belong to several galleries in the area, each in a different town. Very often the artist is required by the gallery to sign an agreement that the artist will show only at that gallery and none other within a radius of a certain number of miles.
Usually the galleries plan the themes for their shows a year in advance, so the artist knows whether or not her paintings will be appropriate for each show. There is a small fee to enter and often the gallery will accept up to 3 paintings from all who enter, depending on the space available.
Today I entered one oil painting in the new show at my local gallery. It will be on display for a month. There are prizes given, in this case none are monetary, but wouldn’t it be great if I could come home with an Honorable Mention?
The Art Walk at Val’s
My friend, Val, has an art-and-antiques gallery called “My Studio” in a nearby town. She, herself, is an artist and sells her own artwork as well as that of her friends, including me. On Friday night her gallery was open, along with all the other galleries in town for the Second Friday Art Walk.
Betty was the featured artist and had previously given Val 15 paintings to be hung. We had a good crowd, partly because Betty is a local gal and has many friends. Also, a new shop has opened next door, rented to an architect whose wife is interested in art. They drew a large crowd because they featured a well known, big name local artist who was doing a demonstration.
By the end of the evening, Val had sold a few antiques, but Betty had sold 2 oil paintings!