Materials

Hi,  In my studio painting waiting for Hurricane Irene.  Here in Scituate, a nautical village the surge on the coast will be damaging. I hope not. I remember  the last one, Bob. I just finished building my house in scituate that year. Sometime during or after a major storm my wife and I  go down to the shoreline to see the power of the ocean.  Boulders the size of a small car are washed up on the street. Its truly amazing to see the power of nature.

I want to share just a brief note on my materials that  work for me.  For my easel, I have been using the Julien French Easel.  Its ok,  I've gone through so many. I keep saying that I am getting the Gloucester
easel.  My North shore artist friends keep telling me how great it is. They are probably right.


http://www.takeiteasel.com/testimonials.html

I use a Richeson French Easel Companion Box that can be purchased at most online art dealers.  I glued a piece of 1/4 inch glass directly in the middle for my palette. This allows for easy scraping of dry paint and cleanup.

I use a variety of oil paints that I like.  Windsor & Newton, Gamblin and Rembrandt. 

For my brushes I like to use mostly natural bristle filberts to do most of the painting and some round natural golden sable brushes of various sizes.  For detail work such as rigging on boats, thin branches on trees, etc. I go through them very quickly,  but cleaning them after each use with saddle soap will prolong their life.

 

For my surfaces I like to use stretched canvas,  cotton or linen,  prepared Masonite panels and mounted canvas on 1/8 inch birch, that I like to apply 3 coats  with alkyd oil base white then I will add an earth tone to them, a light oil wash of burnt sienna, yellow ochre with a small squeeze of titanium white. I will apply the night before a field trip. they dry in a couple of hours.

My reason for this is that a toned down surface allows me to see the true values and the color in nature and also prevents blindness when you have to work in sunlight. I try not to but sometime it unavoidable  in sunny windy conditions. 

on another post I will try to do a demonstration for you or include a recent trip in the field. I am of to do a pleinAir event in Watch Hill Rhode Island  at the Ocean House with several other "fellow"  ASMA colleagues on Sept 4.

It should be a lot of fun. 

   Trouant's Island, South Shore of Boston                                                         8x15  oil on panel

Until Then,  Happy Painting