Wednesday, March 31, 2010

More glazing

This painting has a mixture of a Transparent Earth Yellow and Transparent Gold Ochre glaze.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Glazing, Gravity & Godspeed

OK, after being under the heater for a full day, the painting is dry 'to the touch'.  I usually do my glazing with my painting lying flat. The reason for this is that I am relying on gravity to pull the pigments into the cracks and valleys of my brush strokes.  This contributes to the grungy feel that I am after.

I have a few days to finish my last 3 paintings for the show, including this one.  Sometimes i wish I painted in acrylics, as it dries instantly......nah, oils is still my favorite medium.  It's funny when something was introduced to you at 18, it tends to stick with you.  I was listening to Echo & the Bunnymen while I was doing this, by the way.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Dry painting,dry!

I threw out all my driers back in the 90's knowing that they were all very toxic: copal medium, cobalt drier, and Japan drier.  So nowadays, I speed up the drying time on my paintings by heat only, and of course time. As you know, oil paintings do not dry by evaporation of water but rather oxygenation of the oil and pigments.  After some research the only methods that would speed up the oils to a degree of solid form is to add heat and alcohol.  So after I am done with a painting and need for it to dry quickly, I will spray a little alcohol and sit it in front of a heater.  Titanium white and all cadmiums takes the longest to dry and surprisingly Yellow Ochre too!  The reason for the rush is that I still do a glazing process after the painting is dried to the touch.

If anyone knows a better method, I'd love to know!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Laundromat 017

24" x 16" / oil on canvas / 2010
available at: http://www.bicagallery.com/beta2/
Final glazes were Sap Green and Transparent Orange.  Then a Burnt Umber and Ultramarine glazes to the right and bottom.