Monday, December 15, 2014

November Rain 3

                                      oil on canvas 24x24

  This was my oil painting demonstration from last Saturday. I wanted to show how similar the technique was to how I paint with watermedia. They are often mistaken for each other.  Nearly always, I paint flat on the table using Gamsol mineral spirits instead of water and Liquin instead of acrylic medium. I pour washes made by combining the Gamsol and Liquin with color. Often I`ll use gravity to spread the paint by tilting the canvas. The first of these misty forests was watercolor.
  The artist and gallerist Roxanne Clingman came to the demo bearing a gift, a Princeton 'Catalyst' polytip Angle Bright Brush! I will paint with anything but this particular brush is a favorite of mine. How did she know? I didn`t even know the name of it but recognized it at once.
  It took me a while to figure out why, but because I participated in the Portland Open Studios, Gamblin Paints [based here in Portland] gave me a gift certificate for $50! That was nice! Other painters didn`t get one so I was confused at first. Then I remembered I had listed oils as my primary medium on the P.O.S. application. They make excellent oil paints and I`ve come to depend on their unusual, densely opaque colors called 'Radiants'. With my certificate I asked for a tube of Cadmium Red Medium and Cadmium Yellow Light. They were $25 apiece. The red [medium] is so utterly sensual just moving it around the palette is a hypnotic pleasure. It`s perfectly red too, not leaning to Rose like the new synthetic ones such as Pyrol And it has no warm undertone, one can make beautiful purples with it. If I ever give up landscape painting it will be because of red, and Gamblin`s Cad. Red Med. is the best.

Next demo will be watercolor, Jan. 10, 2015.

available work for sale in my studio

2 comments:

RH Carpenter said...

I think you may use your oils in a unique way that makes it look very much like water media. And your talk of the color red tells me you are an artist - only we get so enthralled over colors and brushes and how using certain ones become a sensual experience. This is a gorgeous painting - and it is always fun to get art supplies for free!

Jo Reimer said...

So beautiful, Randall. Watching you start this painting Saturday at your monthly demo was fascinating and as each layer evolved I'd think, oh that's beautiful, he's done, but no, it was the start that became another work of wonder.
And thank you for generously opening your studio for these demos with no strings attached. I learned so much simply by watching.