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
Glue Sizing
The next step after stretching the linen over the bars is to prepare the glue sizing. Rabbit skin glue comes in a crystal form and looks somewhat like cream of wheat. This is truly one of the historic materials and techniques and has been used for centuries. The crystals are soaked overnight in water and then heated in a double boiler where the … [Read more...] about Glue Sizing
Preparing the Supports
There are several supports which can be used for painting with oil. Canvas, wood panel, copper are some. For this project I will use only linen canvas and panels made of birch. Here I am stretching raw, unprimed linen over sturdy stretcher bars. Making sure there is enough to pull around the bar, I staple the back side securely, but not too … [Read more...] about Preparing the Supports
Studio Abandonment
Several weeks have passed since grinding enough colors to get a good start on this project. And, in spite of the holidays, I am now on painting #3. Painting #1 is based on a portrait by Franz Hals which is of interest because of the wonderful lace collar on the gentleman. It is a very mono-chromatic painting with bravura brush strokes, showing … [Read more...] about Studio Abandonment
Color Junkie
The past several weeks I have been busy with color making. Pictured here is genuine Vermilion, a color I could never do without. Because you know my style of painting, you know I favor the warm tones especially reds. This particular pigment has been used since antiquity and is made from natural cinnabar. It has been found in ancient China, … [Read more...] about Color Junkie
Recap Recap
For all of you who are drop in or first time readers of this blog, I would like to recap the nature of my “Lessons from the Low Countries” Project. Alyson actually suggested I do this. She is my career coach and has been instrumental in guiding me through the steps of posting cohesive ideas. The project is actually all summarized in the first … [Read more...] about Recap Recap