Some Things Regarding Solvents

A number of oil painters have switched to water mixable oils in order to avoid the use of solvents.  Several of my friends who have done this say they are dealing with it but prefer the consistency of traditional oils.*  However, traditional oils can be used with natural oils instead of solvent, so I remain unconvinced that switching over is necessary.

I do use solvent while painting, both to clean my brushes and to slightly thin the paint for my underpainting.  At first I used turpentine but within a short period of time switched to Gamsol, Gamblin's odorless mineral spirits.  Gamsol has two safety features- a high flash point (reducing the risk of fire) and a slow evaporation rate (health safety).  A slow evaporation rate is of some economic value as well.  There are other odorless spirits on the market but I am not familiar with them.  For a detailed discussion of safety issues related to solvents I recommend this article-  https://professionalartistmag.com/using-solvents/

From time to time I am asked what I do with the gunk that forms on the bottom of my mineral spirits container/brush washer (I call it a turp can).  Also, what do I do with used solvent.  I use a medium size Holbein metal brush washer in the studio and a small one for my plein air backpack.  Some of my friends prefer the extra large for studio work. At the time of this writing it appears that these containers are in short supply, but the company still posts all sizes so I assume they will continue to make them.  These are pricey but worth it. The first can I purchased was inexpensive and one of the latches broke off almost immediately.  The Holbein are reliably air tight as long as you keep the rubber seal out of the sun when you paint outside (i.e. put the lid in the shade or under something while the can is open).

                            Holbein metal brush washers, sizes small and medium

Here is my procedure for reusing solvent.  Skip this paragraph if you have the situation under control.  After 2-3 sessions I pour the used solvent from my turp can into a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Wearing gloves, I clean the thick paint residue on the bottom with paper towels, wiping until fairly dry.  I put the paper towels in the trash to dry before discarding.  I keep about 6 jars of settling solvent going in my storage cabinet.  After cleaning the turp can I refill it with used spirits decanted from another jar that has completely settled.  Because there is gradual evaporation with use, I have to add new mineral spirits to the can periodically, but I reuse the spirits indefinitely.  I never dispose of solvent and I maximize its use.  In 10 years I have yet to completely fill a jar with the solid residue, but once I do I will take it to a hazardous waste disposal station.

Below, I am decanting the spirits in a jar that has settled.  The next image shows the gunk that has settled and become a solid.

                                               

And below are the newly decanted spirits.  Very clear and ready for use.  The level is low so I will add some new spirits.   

    

                             
Now for a housekeeping issue.  With time solid material will build up in the can and more importantly on the piece inside used to wash the brushes.  After long neglect mine recently looked like this:

I know, don't say it... the holes are almost plugged and the piece only fits into the can with difficulty.  I soaked it overnight in Murphy Oil Soap with some added water.  This was a tougher case than usual, but here is what it looks like now-

So I am back in business with a resolve to do this more often.  It works very well, but if you wait as long as I did some elbow grease will be required.  You can do this to keep the can nice and shiny, but I don't care about that.

Murphy soap is also great for soaking brushes with dried paint, and of course to clean hardwood floors.  Unlike many products, I like the way it smells.  It is carried in groceries and hardware stores.

I hope this was understandable and helpful.  Thanks for reading!

*If this is the situation you are in with water mixable oils, check out this OPA blog post about water mixable oils by Christine Lashley
Working Out the Kinks

Editing What You See

Editing and simplifying the subject matter is an important part of painting .  Moving trees or other objects in a landscape can  make a better composition.  Black shadows in photos must be changed with half tones and temperature variations.  The planning process may involve mental notes alone, sketches, or the use of apps.  (See my post on the latter- June 2, 2017)

Here are two examples.  In both cases I made changes before and as I painted.  I did not make sketches or use my iPad to edit.

The first is a painting from this reference photo of a sunset in the Bahamas.

Because of the low light is there isn't a lot of color in the scene.  The dock, palms, and distant foliage are essentially black, though there is some light on the boat/structures on the far side of the water.  I can't tell what some of the structures are, though the mast to the right indicates some kind of sail boat.  I loved the sky and wanted to paint it pretty much as is.

To change the composition a bit I cropped the sky and made more dock visible.  This still avoided a horizon in dead center.  I added some color, both warm and cool, to the black shadows and lightened some of the values while still keeping them in the shadow family. (Remember that the lightest shadow value should always be darker than the darkest value in the light.)  I played up the light on the boats, improvised the sailboat that was not really discernible, and took the liberty of highlighting parts of the dock.  A little bit of rim lighting there is believable and keeps the posts from disappearing into the darks behind them. Last I put sun reflections on the water which should have been there but in reality were very subtle and diffuse.  This painting was also an experiment with chromatic black* in order to justify a recent purchase.😆  The greens were made with black and a bit of yellow.  The other darks were mixtures of black with other colors, such as burnt sienna.

The second example is a plein air piece from a nearby golf course.  I took a photo before painting which I always do, unless I forget.

I do not like painting golf courses.  They are artificial and too manicured for my tastes though that is purely personal.  But this course is close to home and when closed, painters are allowed to wander freely.  It was a good cloud day.

I chose a square format, for no other reason than I love doing them.  A landscape format would have been perfectly fine.  This was 8"x8" and the session lasted about an hour and a half.    My canvas was toned with burnt sienna and I used this for the underpainting also. The darks were ultramarine blue mixed with burnt sienna.  To avoid the look of the golf course I made the terrain flat, which is how the natural landscapes are in my area.  I eliminated all man-made structures.  I kept the horizon low because I wanted the sky to be the real star of the show.  I made sure that the grasses did not look mowed or uniformly green.  I didn't move the trees because I liked the way they led me through to the ground beyond (fairway!) and the sky.  I exaggerated the warm blue in the sky close to the horizon because I love the way this looks on a partly cloudy day.  I think I succeeded in making this look more like a field than a golf course.

I hope these examples were helpful.  Thanks for looking!

*chromatic black is factory made using 2 complements- quinacridone red and phthalo emerald.  This makes a vibrant transparent black that doesn't deaden other colors when mixed (like ivory black tends to do.)

Painting from Memory

A few years ago I took a plein air workshop taught by Kelly Medford.  On the second day she made us do the following exercise on location.  First we painted a scene of our choice with a strict time limit.  As I recall we had an hour.  Then she asked us to study the scene for 5 minutes without painting and to make as many mental notes as we could. We put our first paintings away and moved our easels  to a spot where we could no longer see the scene.  We were given the same amount of time to paint the second one from memory. After we finished, we lined up our paintings and the group had to guess which was the one painted from memory.  The results were interesting.  Everyone was able to get a decent memory painting and the correct guesses were about 50/50.  As much as I enjoyed the exercise, I never did it again on my own.  I have seen beautiful paintings done from memory and I envy artists who can do it well.  Practicing this makes one a better observer and thus a better painter, because learning how to see is a big part of becoming a good artist.

Recently I saw a beautiful scene from an airplane.  The sun was setting just as the moon was rising.  The moon was full and the sun's reflections threw amazing color on the opposite horizon.  It was truly surreal.  I did not have a camera, but it was at such a sharp angle through the window that I doubt I could have taken a good shot.  I watched it as long as it lasted and made mental notes, something like this: from bottom to top there was a cool deep blue followed by a warmer violet blue.  Then lighter saturated pink with a small transition zone of some warm unsaturated yellows.  A warm lighter blue was at the top. The moon was yellow orange and occupied the blue-violet region.

I wish I had made written notes because it was a week before I had an opportunity to paint this, but it was still reasonably fresh in my mind.  I already had a 14"x14" stretched canvas that was primed with orange.  I had used oil paint mixed with cold wax so I decided to stick with that and paint with a palette knife, another thing I rarely do.  I did it in one session.  I have to be loose with a palette knife because I don't have much experience and I can't control it very well.  (Sort of like painting with my non-dominant hand.)

Here is what I got- nothing like I usually paint but it looks a lot like the actual scene.

I usually tone my canvases with burnt sienna thinned with mineral spirits and wiped down, but when I paint with cold wax I like to start with a thicker layer of vibrant color.  I can let some show through (easy to do with a knife) or even carve out areas to reveal the base color as I go along.  Cold wax creates a lot of texture and I do not add additional medium when I use it.  I use about a 50/50 ratio of wax to paint, sometimes a little less wax for the first couple of layers.

From a compositional standpoint this is a very simple painting which helped with the memory piece.  I'm not ready to attempt a complicated landscape.  Baby steps... but memorizing a complex scene makes simplification a necessity.

Another thing to try, and I have done this to avoid direct sun on my panel, is to paint with your back to the scene.  This keeps the sun off if that is an issue and requires you to study the subject, then paint a bit before looking back.  Though not as challenging as painting the entire painting from memory, it forces you to really look and make mental notes before turning back to the canvas.

I'll write more about cold wax later.  Meanwhile, Happy New Year and thanks for reading!

  

Commissions- A Double Edged Sword

I never intended to do commissions and rarely accepted them until about 3 years ago. Before that it was an occasional piece for a friend or family member and usually a gift. I never promoted myself but eventually it grew by word of mouth.  Commissions often come through galleries and I am not in one, so I never expected much in the way of volume. This past summer I had eight commissions and have 3 to complete this fall.  That is more than the total number for the previous 3 years.  So, I have been busy.

There are a number of reasons to do commission work.  First of all, the painting is almost a guaranteed sale.  I always give the client the option of not buying the piece if they are not happy.  That has yet to happen though I'm sure it will sometime.  More on this later. Secondly, commissions are often very specific requests that would not be subject of the artist's choosing.  I do not do portraits because I lack the training, but I have accepted pet and house portraits as well as figures that represent specific people but are not exact likenesses.  My favorite type of commission is a more open ended request for something similar to a painting I have done in the past, but when I have to paint out of my comfort zone I always learn something.  For example, after taking on some house portraits I improved my perspective skills and ability to simplify architecture.  I like to paint cityscapes so the experience was helpful.  Accepting commissions has grown my client base. Many of my requests come from friends or family members of previous commission customers. Subsequently some have purchased non commissioned work as well.

There are some downsides.  I was so busy this summer I did not have time to paint subjects that I was passionate about.  I went on two brief painting trips for plein air studies but otherwise mostly worked on commissions in the studio.  Most of what I did involved specific deadlines which made things more stressful.  My general inventory is lower than I like for it to be because I was not able to replace pieces that sold online or in shows. These are good problems to have, though I have not had as much pleasure from a creativity standpoint.

As for the risk of unhappy customers,  I have a couple of suggestions.  If I have access to the scene I take my own photos, but often this is not possible.  I will not accept a commission if a bad reference photo is my only option.  I take progress photos while I work on the paintings and give the clients the opportunity to give feedback.  I had one large piece this summer (36"x36") and I first painted a small study for them to approve (12"x12").  That saved a lot of effort on the back end.  Galleries typically ask for a 50% deposit for commissions which is only refunded if the gallery is able to sell it to someone else should the client be unhappy.  Some artists charge more for commissions because they are more trouble.  I don't do either of these things but it is something to consider.

Below are a few examples of this year's commission work-

I would not have chosen this house to paint but it was a good lesson in simplification as this house had a lot going on.  I was able to get creative with the sky and the foliage which made it feel more like painting a landscape (my comfort zone).  14"x18"

I actually had to paint this twice, each with a different golfer.  I was lucky because the light was very good in the reference photos.  (Unfortunately I wasn't given access to Augusta National for photos...) The shot was taken in the fall but I was asked to paint the azaleas in bloom.  It is easy to find photos of this hole online so that was easy.  I do not want to be known as a golf course painter, but if I had to do it this was an exceptionally good subject with a lot of natural landscape.  16"x20"

Now for my favorite, a request to paint a subject I have painted in the past.  I love bicycles and hadn't painted any in a while.  Right up my alley and I was told I could use any reference I liked.  Hard decision because I have a large file!  The only specific was the size of the painting, 12"x12".

If you sell your work and have not done commissions I recommend giving it a try.  Starting with friends and family is a good way to get your brushes wet.

Thanks for reading!

Donating your artwork- pros and cons

In recent years I have been approached more frequently about donating paintings for silent auctions in charity events.  This now happens 3-5 times a year.  The venues have varied from outdoor festivals to large seated dinners.  I have mixed feelings about my experiences and have postponed writing about it because I wasn't sure what I wanted to say.

There is one very solid pro for donating your work to a charity you believe in, which the sheer joy of knowing that you have supported a good cause.  I feel particularly good when it is a local charity and I either know the people involved in the fundraising or the actual charity recipients.

There is a potential pro (and fundraisers usually bring this up when asking for donations) which is exposure for the artist.  In theory, many people at the event will view the artwork, remember the artist, and possibly buy their work in the future.  Maybe a bidding war will break out!  Gallery representatives might be in attendance!  Word of mouth can be a powerful thing.  I'll get back to this.

Now for the cons.  The subject of tax write-offs usually comes up. Fundraisers and the artists themselves often do not understand the existing federal tax laws.  Even with a signed form that includes the value of the donated artwork, the artist can only deduct the cost of the art supplies and framing expenses or any other service the artist pays someone else to complete the piece.  But consider this- if you are running your art as a business you have already deducted those expenses.  You can't deduct them twice.  So you are virtually giving your art away without any tax benefit.  If your art is a hobby and you do not deduct your expenses you can of course deduct them as a charity donation, but this will likely be much less than the value of the work.

Another con is the possibility of devaluing your art.  If the donated work sells at a price that is below its value, which is a common occurrence, the exposure can be a negative thing. Or let's say it doesn't sell at all- even worse!  All of those people saw that no one wanted your work.  Unless I attend the event myself I rarely get feedback about the winning bid, so I am in the dark regarding the nature of the exposure.  Consider also that if the work doesn't sell, the charity gets nothing.

Saying no is not easy either, especially if you are saying no to a friend or to someone who works hard to support the community.  Being told no is tough for  fundraisers.  They need to have thick skin and often work hard for little recognition.

So what to do?

I wish I had all the answers, but I have made some decisions for myself.  I want to support charities, but I cannot support them all.  I have decided to forgo outdoor festivals and similar venues, knowing that they are not good exposure for my work.  When approached in the future I will offer to write a check.  That will benefit the charity and I can deduct 100%.  I will continue to participate in a few events that are indoors in nice facilities with a large attendance.  Historically this is where I have raised the most money.  In one instance there was a bidding war for my painting which wound up selling for 4 times its actual worth.  (Alcohol was undoubtedly involved.)  I felt very good about that donation and it was a charity that is near and dear to me.

I had the opportunity last year to do a one artist show in a local business.  The venue was very nice and there was a well attended opening reception.  I was asked by the business owners to donate 25% of my sales to a local hospital.  This was a win-win.  I sold well, got great exposure and wrote a nice check to the hospital.  It also led to three commissions.  I have never had a subsequent sale, or even an inquiry that resulted from a charity auction.

An artist's decision regarding donations is a personal one.  My intention here was to create awareness of tax laws which are often misunderstood and to propose a thought process to help determine which venues work for the artist and charities.

Thanks for reading!  

                                             Marsh sunset, Kiawah Island, SC
                                                  my photo- no painting yet!



                

Postcards from Wherever

It is vacation season so I thought I would say something about those paintings that we paint just for ourselves.  I think of them as souvenirs.  After taking up painting 10 years ago the photos I take while traveling have changed.  In addition to the obvious touristy shots, I take photos specifically for reference.  Though technically not souvenirs,  the paintings I have made from my trip photos remind me of special moments.

Here are a few I would like to share-

                                                      "On the Oregon Coast"  12"x24"

This is a beach on the Oregon coast recently painting from a photo taken 10 years ago.  I cropped it to better suit the scene- it was not this horizontal.  Usually I wouldn't wait this long to paint from a reference.  It is best to paint while the actual scene is still fresh in one's mind, but when I looked back at this one it felt as if I had been there recently.  I still remember the way the air felt and the sounds of the ocean.  I enjoyed painting this format. The large rocks on the beach were not there but I thought this was more attractive than the monotonous dirt in the actual scene.

                                                         "On the Golfo Dulche" 14"x18"

Another seascape, this one from a beach in Costa Rica.  This was from a trip taken earlier this year.  I painted a few of the rocks on the beach but there were thousands of them. When we went in the water each wave carried tons of little pebbles, so better for viewing than swimming.  Other than reducing the rocky component, I was pretty much a slave to the photo.

                                                       "Cassis Fishing Boats" 8"x10"

These little fishing boats, called pointu by the French (took me forever to find that out) were in the town of Cassis near Marseilles.  It is a charming fishing village and though quite touristy these days is  still worth a visit.  I took a lot of photos but when I got home I realized that what I loved the most about the place was the boats.

                                                            "High and Dry" 24"x30"

I love painting laundry but I find it difficult to get good reference photos.  This is from a portion of a photo I took in Amalfi two years ago.  Here is the photo-

The laundry was hanging very high on a building right off the docks.  This was the maximum zoom on my iPhone but I cropped it once I was home to get the part I wanted.  I had a lot of fun playing with the composition.  This now hangs in our laundry room.

Enjoy your summer and take plenty of pictures!

Imagining Color

A friend of mine took a fabulous photo on a small family farm we were visiting in Colorado a couple of years ago.  I love the composition and the animal faces.  I also love that it is black and white.  It was a very gray day. A distant storm was brewing over the mountains so there was very little light.  Black and while suited the scene perfectly.  Recently I decided to use this reference for a painting but I didn't want it to be colorless.  Here is the photo-

I cropped it in a bit but kept the square format and decided on a 12"x12" sized panel.  The values were set.  All I had to do was imagine color.

My initial block in was with burnt sienna and ultramarine blue thinned with some mineral spirits. I used a little ivory black for the darkest darks.  At this point the animals are just simple shapes that needed refinement.   I eliminated the cow's head at the right edge of the painting.

I toned the canvas with burnt sienna immediately before starting the painting.  That way I didn't have to stare at a white canvas but could still wipe out some highlights.  As a result of toning the sky is a pinkish orange color which I liked.  

Under the circumstances there could only be so much color.  Sheep, a cow and lots of mud doesn't scream "colorist territory" but I thought I could play with the tree and the distant mountains and sky.

Here I have put more paint on the canvas and tried to approximate the values in the photo.  I exaggerated the size and color of the distant mountains with a lighter more saturated blue and made the sky pink with some light yellow breaks in the cloud cover, giving it an over all orange impression.  I added some nondescript debris in the shed (so it wouldn't look like a black hole) and gave the fence a little more personality by leaning some posts and adding random stokes to suggest vegetation.  All the greens in this painting were made with ivory black and cad yellow light to keep them very grayed down.

Lastly I put a bit more light on the tree with some red tones, but I didn't want to indicate bright sunlight. I lightened up the ground and developed the faces of the sheep in the foreground trying to leave the animals in back as suggested forms.  I filled in the darks in the sheep with some warm and cool half tones.  After the painting was dry I glazed the distant field, the foreground and the shed with more chroma (saturated, less grayed), both warm and cool.

I had fun with this one and will try it again.  Exercises such as this help painters develop their imaginative skills and offer a break from the same old routine, just like trying challenging new subject material.

Many thanks to Laura Todd for providing the reference photo.

And thanks to you for reading!