Dear Reader,
I went out to paint yesterday in 94 degree weather and luckily my pal Silvio had some extra turpenoid as mine had evaporated. It was pure joy to paint these old trucks. We found a place that has a warehouse of old decaying trucks overgrown with blackberries and such just waiting to be painted. It was too hot for prissy Silvio and he bailed on me. It was just me and the old memories that these old rusted trucks could tell. What was their story? Who drove them? what parts of our country did they see?.......and oh yeah, I dropped the painting on the scorched grass as I was preparing to leave. You can see traces of debris that I left on the upper right corner.
Anyway, I came home and finished up the truck on the left and my youngest Dave asked me if I was prepared for Wednesday's presentation of my Art at his grammar school in the morning? Yikes . I had miscalculated because of Monday's holiday and had forgotten about it. I was planning to get up early and do a thoughtful post about getting the triangle right in painting Portraits but instead I am putting together samples to show the little brats at Bowman Elementary. I did not want to rush the post as I feel that it deserves some careful explaining and thoughtful elaboration.....so here is a filler until that time...
Tip Alert......Sometimes someone gives you a tip about a new material that can make all the difference in the world. Well Mick McGinty of " Twice a Week" has been singing the praises of Gamblin's " Flake White Replacement" to me for awhile now and before he left he gave me a tube. I used it on this painting and it is terrific!!!!!!! It performs as if you added a bit of stand oil. It is a " drier" white and floats on the surface as you apply it over other paint. It's wonderful if you want to see the color underneath a stroke. It has great body and is ideal for scumbling. 5 stars.
Posts
You can feel the heat from the warm grass around those trucks. For once, I think it is cooler down in Southern California. Only 75 yesterday.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I love the nostalgic feel of this painting.
Jeremy,
ReplyDeleteI am off now to talk to the kids...but I just wanted to encourage you on all the great strides you are making in your painting pursuits. Its been such a busy 2 weeks that I have not been able to look at any of my favorite blogs....These trucks have so much character that I just have to tell their story...
Frank. Could you explain the differences you see in the various whites that you use? I use Flake white replacement for everything and I know I'm handicapping myself. Which is the most brilliant white. By that I mean the most opaque or cool white. We talked about titanium but I thought it was too transparent. Direct me to some earlier posts maybe. I've been searching but can't ocate the info. Thanks
ReplyDeleteMick,
ReplyDeleteOff hand , for my taste, I would not use Flake White Replacement for portraits unless I wanted a real gritty feel on the face...like an ol time gold panner.
Titaniums are known for being opaque while zinc white tends to be more transparent and more suitable for glazing. Titanium tends to be the most brilliant although some swear by Permalba White which is really a cool Zinc White. I contacted the manufacturer to get that info. I'll look up my other posts on white..i think its under the label "Painting Technique"
Skype me Mick!
Hey Frank,
ReplyDeleteThat's a cool painting (but you made the weather look hot)! I've been way too busy with the end of school to make it outside. You've got to show me where that place is.