I thought I was going to finally finish Main Street #1 today but I fell short. I am still not satisfied with the right-most figure. So, I keep working until I’m happy with it. Today I used walnut oil that I bought from James Groves. Really good stuff–for walnut oil. As I’ve written before, James really…
I worked on 4 paintings today, including the 3 small portraits in this photograph. Recently, I wrote about breaking my palette knife again. My favorite knife is (was) marketed as a painting knife, although I rarely used it for that purpose. But I painted with a knife today. I finished Garth in a Yankees Cap with a…
In January, I wrote about breaking my stalwart palette knife. After using the knife daily for years, I really miss it. It was like losing a hand. I have plenty of knives but the one that broke was my favorite. So I ordered three replacement knives–model Richeson 830 just like the one that broke. You can…
Along with Winsor Newton, Blue Ridge and RGH oils get a lot of use on my palette. The categories I use to rate manufacturers in my oil paint brand reference–low-end, mid-range, and high-end–are based on price and quality. While there is a lot of churn in the low-end category, most brands are student-grade and…
I worked on these three small paintings yesterday. I am trying to keep all three simple. Millie Talking, the painting sitting on the floor, is almost done. There are a few that still needs ‘saying.’ According to my Studio Journal, I notice that I’ve worked on the two landscapes at the same time, one after the…
Have you read many turpentine reviews lately? How about ever? I use turpentine every day in my oil painting. Winsor Newton is a pretty reliable manufacturer. Their oil paint, while not the best, is very good and it’s reasonably priced. Their English Distilled turpentine is my usual choice. It handles well in my medium and performs…
This painting, Girl in the Purple Boots II, is typical of how I work these days. Like the earlier version, Girl in the Purple Boots I, the painting is based on a mash-up of several photos taken around the same time at the same location. In the case of the Purple Boots paintings, the photos…
This photo shows painting cups in front of my custom-made palette. I always use this selection of mediums and solvents when I paint. In the left-most container is my medium. My medium is very drying which means, among other things, that it is very rough on brush heads. Not only does it dry out the brush hairs,…