A Sneak Preview....... Pictured here is one of the Dutch paintings used for this project. I have taken the color palette from a landscape by Jan Asselijn and painted a still life (a detail of painting #2). There are some beautiful rosy reds on the gentleman's cloak (not showing very well here) which I used in the color theme of the teapot(above). … [Read more...] about Sneak Preview
Chicanery
Who could have guessed one of the most helpful and instructional guides for this project would be a cunning art forger? While examining one of my favorite art book's bibliography (the best feature of any book!), the title, The Art Forger's Handbook jumped off the page. Eric Hebborn wrote about his artistic skills describing ingenious … [Read more...] about Chicanery
Yellow Ochre
Almost done with the yellow ochre. The lovely golden quality glows by this stage of the grinding. … [Read more...] about Yellow Ochre
Oak-er Not Okra
This is a yellow ochre just being wet with the oil. You can see the light area is still dry as the darker area has oil in it. It is important at this point to add the linseed oil slowly to the dry pigment to make a paste. By adding drops at a time and mixing it in prevents getting too much oil. Remember it is easier to add than take away. It is … [Read more...] about Oak-er Not Okra
Birch Panels
In addition to the linen canvases, my plan is to use 4 birch panels as a painting surface. Pictured here are 3/4 inch birch panels cut to size. Traditional gesso made with rabbit skin glue, chalk, and water was soaked, heated and applied in 7 coats, sanding lightly between each coat. This mixture is applied with a fine soft brush stroking in … [Read more...] about Birch Panels
Priming
After the glue is thoroughly dry the fabric must be sanded lightly to remove the fine furry particles of fiber from the face of the canvas. It is now ready to prime. Here I have used an oil lead primer from Robert Doak & Associates. It is applied to the surface with a step down palette knife in a thin coating. After several days of drying add … [Read more...] about Priming