When you see the warm clouds on background of cool, dark sky, be honest, you’ve wondered if oils would make painting this scene easier than watercolors. Every time I’ve thought of doing oil, I have researched and then found that I need the right brushes, the right pigments, turpentine to clean the brushes, oil for the actual painting and gobs of bathroom tissue. Either for lack of equipment or patience to cart around smelly materials, I didn’t indulge even though seeing other people’s oils with thick luscious oil paints always piqued my interest.
Last summer, a dear friend of mine, gave me 8 tubes of water soluble oil. That’s right – water soluble! From Jackson’s Art Supplies – I believe it’s a store in London that she shops at. With those large tubes, she also gave me 4 brushes. This set was perfect! Now when you get a special gift, you don’t paint willy-nilly with it. While I saved the oils for a special occasion, after 8 months passed, the gift started looking precious. Before the oils became the unused trophy art material, it had to be used quickly, the artist had to see quickly what all others harp about when they say oils give them control and be done with it. Here is the snobbish part. I’ve thought that I was ready for oils for some years now – yes – ready for it without ever having touched it. This is sure to come across as rather cocky, but that’s how I felt – quietly sure of the medium. You will see my first two attempts at oil on panels and of course, more refinement can be achieved, needed, but yeah, the confidence was not misplaced.
The idea is to get into figure painting with the head emanating from the darkness of the page. Today’s painting was not that painting directly, but it is a portrait painted with love, my beloved older son.
These rocks are massive and sit among gushing water without a care. One feels how the glaciers must’ve carved out Yosemite valley. The boys and I hiked up to Mirror Lake in Spring of 2017.
