Oil Painting

Real confidence only comes from study and practice.—Harley Brown

As I’ve been preparing to paint lately, I’ve been thinking about how great it would be if “Confidence” were just a color I could squeeze out onto my palette. It would mix smoothly with all the other colors, and give each brushstroke the snap and spring that would bring those flat shapes to life, to imbue those colored spots and masses with the energy and authenticity that would ultimately make my painting sing in a frame on the gallery wall.

Alas, I can’t find it on the aisles of the art store. It’s not bottled, boxed, compressed, or container-ed. I have been able to read about it: how it changes lives, impels men and women to the top of Mount Everest and to the bottom of the South Pole. It was inside Amelia Earhart’s leather pilot’s helmet when she flew across the Atlantic in one go, for the first time, and on the shoulders of General George Patton’s short jacket as he out-thought and out-fought German commanders across Europe and Africa. You can see it in Monet’s impressionist markings in the “Water Lilies” series in the Musée De L’Orangerie, and in the economic charcoal drawings of Picasso and Georgia O’Keeffe. Sometimes it seems like it’s everywhere I’m not.
Robert Genn was a prolific writer and artist, a Canadian with a can-do sense of life, and while he was here he wrote about things in life that way. He wrote, “To float like a cloud, you have to go to the trouble of becoming one.” Wow. That’s my goal, to paint like I breathe: easily, effortlessly, and economically. I’ve heard workshop instructors tell their students, “Use the Big Brush! Paint with Confidence, and Boldly! Go Big or Go Home!”

Lots of folks, I believe, would pay real money to go to a weekend workshop that issued “confidence” as one of the tools students would be using from then on to create their paintings. But I think we can agree that one can only be confident in what they do after having a series of experiences that demonstrate to them personally that they know what they are doing. Real confidence only comes from study and practice.
 
Bottom line, Rick, sorry, guy, you’re only going to paint with confidence after you paint miles of canvas. There is no other way. I guess I should say, “Go Hard or Go Home.”
That’s why artists, or anyone who wants to do their work confidently, has got to love what they are doing, and possess a driving passion to do it. That way, mistakes and failures won’t sink the ship: they’ll just be more coal that you can feed the boilers to keep going full speed ahead.
Okay, then, back to work so-I can Paint with Confidence!
To see more of my work, go to delantyfineart.com

I have a ‘might be salvageable’ cupboard where I keep a stack of paintings that didn’t work for one reason or another. I like to play about with them when I have an odd hour here or there. Sometimes adjustments to the colour or values is all that is needed or the brushwork can be cleaned up or the painting is too tight and some bolder brush or knife work might liven it up. Or, at the time, I didn’t have a clear idea how to handle a new subject but later I can see my through it. Of course there are those pictures that just shouldn’t have been started in the first place – the ones where I scratch my head and wonder what ever was I thinking!
The painting below was done from some reference I gathered when visiting with a friend on his boat at a marina in Sidney, a town not too far from my studio. It started life as a 24×18 with a fairly faithful representation of the boats in the background, a lot of rocks and water in the foreground and some geese in the middle bit. It didn’t work. It was boring and it ended up in the reject cupboard. A few months ago, I hauled it out and tackled it again.
I’ll post the new version first followed by the ‘reject’.I invite you to play ‘spot the difference’.

What did I do?

I sorted through my reference files and found another group of boats with the same lighting and, without planning or drawing anything, I started on the right and worked across to the left. First I broke up that dull wall of green with some sky and a suggestion of buildings and added some rocks and beach and then the boats and reflections.
I decided that the large rock, upon which the two geese are standing, was too large and dominated the space so I flattened it. And the row of sleeping geese, which I had once thought made an interesting shape, seemed contrived and had to go. I started replacing them with water and reflections and some more mud but stopped before eliminating all of them. I probably went to make a cup of tea. I’m glad I did because I quite like the two that remain.
I then tried a number of approaches to the bottom third but nothing worked so I stuck a piece of masking tape across it at the 18″ mark. Better. I took out most of the rocks and mud I had painted and went back to a larger area of water to lead into the painting. This time I kept it simpler allowing the top third to draw the eye.Better still.
I think this one can stay out of the cupboard……..

There’s always something lost when viewing a painting on a computer screen. There’s nothing quite like the luminance of a well-executed physical painting under a bright light. A sculptural impasto work can seem particularly flat without walking by it on the wall to see the light reflect off the high points and cast textural shadows. 

Yet, there are some things we can do to improve the experience of viewing our paintings as screen images. Lighting can make immense changes to a physical painting and my feeling is that a screen should, as much as possible, represent a work in ideal lighting conditions. Of course, a screen image should be accurate, but if the image is accurate to the painting by candlelight, it probably won’t look as good as it could have. A viewer would then likely be surprised when seeing the physical work in better light. There are many ways for a screen image to be accurate, so choosing the best lighting condition for your painting will improve the experience for your viewer and help them understand what the work truly looks like in person.


Even light, or multiple lights from opposite directions will cancel out textural shadows and emphasize the true color mixtures of the pigments on the surface. This is great for paintings whose surface is already fairly smooth, like realist works where texture can distract from carefully painted lighting effects or rendered forms. But a richly impastoed painting will lose all of it’s sculptural qualities in this light.
Raking light, or lighting from one direction, closer to the plane of the painting surface, will cast shadows from the thick strokes and surface textures, allowing a screen viewer to experience some of a work’s three-dimensional qualities. Depending on the brightness and distance of the light source, as well as the size of the painting, exposure may need to be adjusted on one side of the image to even out the brightness. But for a thick, impasto painting, the result will be a better representation of the physical artwork. However, textural shadows in the lightest areas of a painting (often painted as thick, opaque, lights) can be problematic for experiencing the glow of a well-captured effect of strong light. A deep canvas texture can also be distracting from a work that would better viewed in even light, both in person and on screen.

In person, a painting can be seen from different angles or in multiple lighting conditions. In even lighting, three-dimensional textures can still be discerned by moving around a work. Some works are both textural and depict luminous lighting effects. So, to help a viewer more fully understand the reality of a painting, I sometimes supply images in both of these lighting conditions.

Glare is another pitfall of photographing oil paintings, particularly textural ones. A tiny bit of glare can help show texture without being too much of a nuisance, but I prefer to let raking light shadows fill this role and remove glare entirely. In person, we have the ability to remove glare by changing our vantage point relative to the lighting, but it doesn’t matter where you move your head in front of a screen, the image won’t change. To control glare, I use linear polarizing gels, or filters, over my lights and a polarizing filter on my camera lens. With these filters oriented (rotated) properly, virtually all glare can be easily eliminated from photographs of your paintings. The lighting gels on their own cut down on glare significantly so I leave them on my lights while I paint in the studio too. Polarizing film can be purchased by the foot from polarization.com significantly less expensively than you can buy individual gels from a photography equipment supplier, though you’ll probably want to purchase a camera filter from one of these suppliers.

Screen representations will always have their limits, but with the right lighting we can give our viewers the best possible, and most accurate experience.
Rob Rey OPA

I’ll admit I’m quite a tinkerer when it comes to new gizmos to enhance my studio or painting experience. Over the years, innovative solutions have included making custom-sized palettes out of Corian in a perfect neutral gray color called Concrete, and using a mobile laptop desk or a French caterer’s cart discovered in a vintage furniture store as a tabouret.
Long ago I decided my painting style required a very smooth and stable surface to allow me to achieve the level of detail that I enjoy painting. Nothing says “luxe” to me more than a yummy fine weave of Belgian linen glued onto a fine birch panel, available from several fine art panel suppliers. I use these primarily for important commission pieces.
Yet there are some wonderful new materials that can outperform even linen or wood. For example, fine weaves of polyester art canvas are less prone to sagging than linen, and aluminum composite panels (made out of ACM) are more stable than wood panels (which can expand or contract). ACM is sold under brand names like Dibond, and sometimes you can find budget-friendly remnant pieces from sign makers.
Since I cannot control climate variations like temperature and humidity once a painting leaves my studio, I need to ensure my paintings are well constructed to avoid future problems.
By properly gluing fabric on panels instead of stretching it, the fabric becomes just a texture on which to paint. It no longer supports the paint layer because the panel does that. (Of course, the fabric still needs to be isolated from oil paint with a good sizing, just like linen.)
Here is when my “tinkerer’s brain” kicked in, once again.
Silk is a very strong, luxurious and durable fabric—think parachutes and the ancient art of Bo painting in China. It also has a very fine texture, perfect for achieving fine details while retaining the texture of a fine fabric surface. I liked the idea of using silk on my painting panels, but found some silks were better suited to my purpose than others.
Silk quality is measured in a numerical momme weight, which describes the weight of 100 yards of silk, 45 inches wide, in pounds. So 100 yards of 45” wide silk that weighs 23 pounds is referred to as “23mm”. Higher quality silks are 14mm or higher.
I began experimenting with different grades and weaves of silk and all were strong and adhered beautifully. You can buy small samples to test and see what weave suits your needs. I found it was easier to apply a heavier weave than an extremely sheer weave, so I settled on a natural unbleached 23mm spun silk broadcloth. I purchased it from a wholesale supplier in remnant pieces, some as large as 8 yards long, at a great discount making it a budget-friendly material, indeed!
Since silk is more sheer than even the finest linen, I needed to eliminate “bubbles” as the fabric was applied. I discovered a key step in that process: making sure the silk was uniformly damp before applying and stretching it over the glue-covered panel.
The dampness didn’t affect the adhesion, since I used an acrylic dispersion for the glue. In fact, it ensured the glue soaked into and around the fabric, giving me a much more uniform coating than if there were “dry” spots on the surface. The resulting panels have provided a lovely painting surface for my painting style. I hope this inspires you to give it a try!

A Process for Prepping an ACM Painting Panel using Silk

1. Measure and cut a piece of ACM (.012”/3mm thickness) using a straight edge and utility knife. You can score the material through halfway and bend it over a table edge to finish the cut.





2. Remove the plastic protective film and sand it lightly with 150 grit sandpaper and etch with isopropyl alcohol to remove the finish coating and create some “tooth” for the glue to adhere. (Do NOT sand down to the aluminum!).

 

3. Cut a piece of silk to overhang the board by about an inch or two. Immerse the silk in a bowl of distilled water, then press between two towels until it is just damp. Using a foam roller, roll a thick layer of Golden GAC200 mixed 50/50 with Acrylic gel medium over the board, making sure to cover evenly and out to all the edges.





4. Taking the silk, quickly “flap it” and lay it over the board as if you are putting a sheet on a bed. Now working from side to side, stretch and pull the damp fabric to eliminate bubbles and make sure the weave aligns with the edges of the panel. Tugging from the outside edges, pull it out until you have a completely smooth surface. Using a brayer or or an old credit card, smooth the silk out from the center to all edges. If you get a bubble, you can lift the fabric and tug that section, as the dampness keeps the acrylic dispersion from drying too quickly. Apply extra medium to any edges or corners that need it. You can also roll out or brush on a thin layer of the gel medium mixture on top of the silk to ensure that the fabric is uniformly saturated for maximum adhesion.

 

5. Let the fabric dry without turning it over and putting weight on it. This seems counter-intuitive compared with other methods, but I have found the fabric dries more smoothly that way. Once dry, turn the panel face down and trim the edges using a blade, then lightly sand with a 400 grit sandpaper.

 

6. Using a clean foam roller or brush, apply an even layer of GAC 100 size. “Feather” the surface with a very soft brush, then let dry overnight,

 

7. Lightly sand, then apply a thin layer of acrylic gesso using brush strokes in one direction. Let dry overnight. Lightly sand and apply a second coat of gesso in the opposite direction, repeating this process if necessary until you get the surface you want.

 

8. At this stage, you’re ready to paint or apply an oil ground.


I usually prep several panels at a time, and have a ready supply when inspiration strikes. I encourage you to give silk a try for a little variety in your painting surfaces!

At various times in my life, I’ve struggled with artist’s block…those times when your spirit wants to paint, but obstacles are getting in the way. For me, it’s usually accompanied by frustration. At one point, when my personal and professional life was incredibly stressful, I went for 3-4 years without being able to paint. I doubted whether I could even call myself an artist. I had gone through a divorce, had a full time job, and was raising two young children. I would go down to my studio (it’s in the basement) and the sight of the chaos was enough to make me turn right around and go back out…! I wanted to paint, but when I finally made the time to paint it was frustrating because I couldn’t express what I felt. I hadn’t had enough ‘easel time’ to build those skills…and that led to more stress. It was a vicious cycle. I found my way out of my block through a lot of work, prayer, counseling, and serendipitous events…and things got better. I went to an art therapist, who helped me to focus on my strengths. That was many years ago; now, I paint every day and am finally starting to see real progress and growth in my work.
I am sure many of you have struggled with this, to varying degrees…when the demands of time, family, obligations, health, or other issues interfere with the creative process. Sometimes it’s just a short hiatus, and at other times it seems to go on endlessly. There are many great articles on the web for dealing with this, but I decided to share some of my personal strategies that have worked for me. I hope they may help you as well.

Figure out the source of your block

Try to figure out the source of your block – health, financial and/or personal problems, loss, stress, fear of failure/fear of success, anger, time management, procrastination – and do your best to eliminate those problems. If you are like many of us, you may have several obstacles, so pick the biggest one and start working on that. If you are feeling overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to get professional help from an art therapist or licensed counselor. These professionals are trained to help us get past those difficult times when nothing else works.

Decide what is most important

I had to decide what was most important in my life, and all my energy had to go toward those areas. I had to learn how to say ‘no’ to the things that were unimportant and focus on the important stuff. For me, it’s God, Family/Friends, Art, and Service; sometimes other things creep onto the list, and that is fine. When I was working at a day job, career had to go in that equation. The order sometimes changes, but for me it’s still the same core list. One of my best experiences in learning about this was from an old boss who made all her staff write a personal vision and mission statement. I couldn’t believe how difficult…yet valuable…that was.
One thing I learned is that art and life are inseparable. Robert Henri said, “Life is Art; Art is Life”, and I have seen this over and over again. My mark making is the sum of who I am as a person. Even when I’m not in the studio, I’m seeing things that are painting subjects and mentally putting them into a painting. As an artist, we are always composing, so the next time you are in the studio those mental notes are probably entering into your decisions…even if you feel ‘blocked’, you are still an artist.

Make a commitment and don’t give up

Once you know what the problem is, make a commitment to yourself. Make a commitment to change. Even though we all agree we need to change, change is difficult. To illustrate this, try crossing your arms in whatever way is comfortable for you…and then re-cross them in the opposite way. If you try it, you realize that a very simple change, even when you want to change, can be very difficult. Don’t give up!
We are all imperfect humans, and life has a way of getting in the way and giving us unexpected challenges. I have several slogans that help me with this…like ‘pobody’s nerfect’ and ‘slow and steady wins the race’. I used to read positive affirmations every day to focus on the positive rather than the negative. After a while, it became easier, but it’s easy to slip into negative thought patterns and give up if you aren’t aware of this. Newton’s ‘law of inertia’ is a good one to keep in mind: ‘An object at rest will remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion continues in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.’ Once you get the positive energy going it’s easier to keep it going!

Time Management/Planning

One of the most difficult things is finding time to paint if you are not a full time artist. Even for a full time artist, carving out studio time can be difficult. Being more efficient with time is so important! When I look back on all I accomplished as a single parent, I can’t believe it, but I know part of the reason was that I was more efficient with my time. Make a plan and stick to it. Hire a babysitter for x amount of time each week so you can get into the studio. Get a small planner/use your cell phone and write down your studio time, or schedule plein air days with friends. There are more suggestions in the list below. The book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, by Steven Covey, has a great model for learning how to do more planning and to decide what is most important, but there are many blogs on the internet that also deal with this. I follow Robert and Sara Genn’s online newsletter, “The Painter’s Keys”, and, coincidentally, today’s post was taken from Steven Covey’s book! Here is a link to the article: painterskeys.com

Working on the work

When I was in education, we talked about ‘working on the work’. It was one of those slogans that gets thrown around and becomes a catch phrase, but for me it has a deeper meaning. Life is about working on the work; creating is most definitely ‘working on the work’. For me, it means get into the studio, show up, and get to work. If you can’t work, then show up and clean, or organize…do something to work on the work. On a deeper level, ‘working on the work’ is going deeper into your art/work, and that leads to new discoveries, new connections, and new understandings. You may have that painting where you got lost for hours but it seemed like only minutes had passed…you were working on a deeper level. So…work on the work, and your ‘block’ may lift.

Strategies to help get out of a creative block/slump:

Finally, I have a list of strategies that I sometimes use if the creative muse isn’t showing up. You may have your own list; feel free to share!

1. Exercise or take a walk in nature. Movement helps to reduce stress and stress can interfere with creativity.
2. Practice positivity; read positive affirmations.
3. Join an art group that meets regularly. I joined a plein air group that met once a month because my time to paint was so limited. That experience is what got me back into painting. Painting from life in the outdoors and the camaraderie of being around other artists was just what I needed, and it reaffirmed to me that I was still an artist.
4. Focus more on the process of creating, rather than the product. It helps me to say, “It’s just canvas and paint”.
5. Attend an art show/opening. Being among other creative people can energize you and get your own creative juices flowing!
6. Keep a sketchbook and pencil close by and sketch anything…even your house plant, or your sleeping cat! Drawing skills need to be constantly exercised, too.
7. Take a workshop from someone you admire, or watch an instructional art video.
8. Read a great book by your favorite artist, a biography of someone who has achieved great success while overcoming obstacles, or read a personal growth book. You may be surprised to learn that creative blocks are often not about art, but about other areas in your life. One of my favorite books, “The War of Art” by Stephen Pressfield, is a wonderful book and a quick read.
9. Experiment with a new product, medium, or method. You can get some amazing ‘aha’ moments when you try something new. Trying pastels has led to new growth in painting in oils. Buy some new art supplies…I call it ‘art store retail therapy’!
10. Find a way to make yourself accountable. Some ideas: schedule an event or volunteer to give a demo; have a weekly goal and keep track of how you are doing; schedule art time in a planner – even 30 minutes can help get me over a ‘hump’. Having an obligation helps to motivate. Be honest with yourself.
11. Decide to enter a show and create a plan on how you will have work ready.
12. Print out your favorite photos and put them in a file for the next time you need inspiration.
13. Talk to an artist friend for motivation; go out painting together.
14. Volunteer your time. Being around others and giving back is a great way to boost your mood, especially if your block is related to a loss.
15. Show up in the studio, even if it’s only to clean or organize.
16. Quit making excuses. Just paint.