I thought it would be fun to compare Agamemnon and Orestes after the second day to the first day–bottom photo. After the second day, the underpainting is finished. The underpainting is about getting paint on the canvas and not worrying overmuch about details. At 44″ x 60,” the painting’s large size (for me) dictates the…
This photo shows my first painting session with Agamemnon and Orestes. I know, I know, a bit high falutin but I am reading Aeschylus’s Eumenides. Agamemnon and Orestes is 44″ x 60.” I mentioned that I prefer white grounds these days, but I am always preparing canvases, which means I have some prepared months ago,…
This is a companion to my canvas stretching post. After you stretch a perfectly taut and square canvas, you’re ready to prepare the surface. Our goal is threefold: protect the canvas protect the paint create a perfect surface Why do we have to protect the canvas? Oil is acidic, so if you paint directly on…
I hoped to finish the underpainting on Crossing but, as you can see in the accompanying photo, I ran out of gas. The initial stage for a painting of this size, 40″ x 50″, is about getting paint on the canvas. By the time I start painting, the design is complete. But change is natural. …
Snow in NE Ohio on April 17! OK, just a dusting but I cannot remember snow this late before.
Last week, I saw one of the better shows that I’ve seen in Cleveland. Global Matrix IV at the Gallery at Cleveland State U contains first-rate prints from contemporary European artists. I plan to review the show later this week after I visit it one more time. Along 4th Street is poking along (ahem), although…
While it’s true that I didn’t learn anything about painting at art school, it isn’t true that I didn’t learn anything at all. I learned a lot about printmaking, and I learned how to stretch canvases. That canvas-stretching skill has stood me in good stead. I can’t think of a single instance when the technique…
During my last weekly visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art, I saw Eyewitness Views for the fourth time. Eyewitness Views is the best show I’ve seen at the Cleveland museum and one of the best I’ve ever seen. Do yourself a favor and visit the show before it closes 5/20. Canaletto is a marvel. I am writing a review.