Thursday, May 26, 2016

Camassia Forest - Winter Lagoon

                                                    Camassia Forest oil on canvas 30x30


                                                        Winter Lagoon oil on canvas 30x30


 These may be the last two paintings I finish for my show in July at the Coos Art Museum. Now comes the tedious task of painting the edges of all these paintings, attaching hardware and then wrapping them in plastic for transport. That shouldn`t take a whole month so I will probably be painting again by mid June. I`m nearly certain these will be my last oil paintings. I need a faster drying time! What`s my hurry? Well, the paintings evolve through trial and error and I think that process could be expedited with acrylics. I`m not a patient guy. The texture is so different however, I`m sure I`ll have to learn some new techniques. I already use acrylics in combination with watercolor but those paintings are on paper and larger canvases and panels are what I have in mind. Golden is the brand I`ve been using because it`s American made but I`m open to suggestion. I would love to find an extremely dense white. On the order of Gamblin`s Radiant White oil paint. My new grail.


                                                                 Nicholas Wilton


 Nicholas Wilton writes an extremely pertinent blog on painting and careers. He is honest, humble and generous with his insights. In a recent video on 'style' and how to develop one, he offers a new way to think of it. When I`ve talked about making one`s work more personal I`ve approached it through subject matter. I think he has a better way, one that comes from the process itself. His writing and videos are almost a public service, they`re concise and deal with many of the struggles painters face daily.



My latest I pad painting 'Undergrowth'.


                                                  The Earth of Demeter by Chi Young Sung


 I discovered this extravagant botanical painting the other day on Pinterest. The artist is Korean and she works with mythical themes in vibrant, symbolic color. This painting has the kinetic energy and high spirits I love seeing in landscapes.


work for sale in my studio



2 comments:

Libby Fife said...

Praise for the Impatient!

I use acrylics too for that very reason-they dry quickly. I have used Golden and M. Graham but I don't know of a really dense white like you want. There are all sorts of additives too of course. Your complete transition will be smooth!

Nicholas Wilton is my new favorite guy. I watched that video on style and I couldn't agree more. I heard him say that developing your tastes, discarding what you don't like and paying attention to what you do like, are they keys to building your style. It's taken me a long time to see this (impatient and slow!) but it's true. Personalize your subject matter and pay attention-what could go wrong?:)

The oils are lovely. Like walking in an alien forest. And you keep going with that I Pad. I can't believe what you can do with that. Perfect for artists transitioning to smaller spaces or who don't want to accumulate a lot of stuff as they get older.

Hope all is well:) Thanks for a good post.
Libby

E.M. Corsa said...

The lagoon is delicious. Knowing you, you'll have the acrylics on canvas mastered in no time. Once again, I am enthralled by what you do with that Ipad!