I’m building a display table for my Long Series paintings. This is a test to see if it will stand, and to give me a rough idea if it’s going to look something like what I have in mind. The legs will have cross supports. There will also be a plexiglass cover, and I’ll probably paint it black.
Oil painting.
It’s been awhile since I’ve worked with oil paint, and I’m enjoying the reintroduction. I like using palette knives rather than brushes, and I use brown wrapping paper to create texture and soak up some of the paint’s oil. I enjoy the fact that I really don’t have complete control over what the paper is going to do, and it is always a surprise when I pull the paper off and see the canvas for the first time. Sometimes it’s a complete disaster, but more times than not it works.
The painting is pretty much done. When it’s dry I will make a varnish using damar resin, turpentine, and stand oil. The varnish will be thick and bring up sunken colours.
24x24 inch canvas.
I’ve started painting with oils again. I love all types of paint but nothing smells as beautiful as oil paint. I bought a 24×24 inch canvas with the intention of translating some of my Long Series of 12×12 inch paintings into a larger format.
Long Series.
There are many of my Long Series paintings that I want to use as inspiration for larger paintings.
Long Series.
I’m not interested in an exact copy of the paintings, but rather I want to use them as starting points for new work.
Stencil.
I started by cutting a piece of brown paper to use as a stencil.
Gesso.
I poured gesso into the opening of the stencil.
Circle.
I poured and let the gesso flow until the stencil was covered. When I removed the stencil I had this circular puddle of gesso.
Cutting into the gesso.
I placed a wooden form in the centre of the puddle and let it sit for the day. Yes that is a wooden cheese box, and the cheese was fantastic.
Let dry.
When I removed the cheese box there was a circle cut in the middle of the gesso. I let the gesso dry overnight, and the next day I found I had a problem that I’ll talk about in a later post..
painting with paper.
The other day I picked up an old painting and began painting over it. I roughed in a composition using blues and white oil paint mixed with a bit of stand oil. After I had everything blocked in I crumpled up a sheet of brown wrapping paper and placed it over the painting.
Peeling.
I left the paper on the painting overnight and the paper soaked up some of the oil. I carefully pulled the paper off.
Texture.
The surface of the canvas is left with a rich texture, and some areas are matte and some are glossy.
What I hoped for.
In some areas bits of the old painting show through, but the effect is what I am looking for. The painting is far from done, and I will continue building up and removing layers with this technique.
First stage.
I’m thinking I’ll keep it mostly blue, but with a bit of red and green too.
Cheating.
I taped five 12×12 inch paintings together, and painted a large red splotch over them. It was cheating I know, but it saved time and when I separated them the result was interesting.
I’m fast approaching 875 in this series of 1000, 12×12 inch paintings. I hope to finish strong, and make the last 100 really interesting.
Easter cat.
I’ve also been working on a couple Easter paintings. This is a cat with rabbit ears on his head. I like his unamused expression, and resigned to his fate body language.
Painter's Progress 