Oil painting technique
I paint in oils and took to this medium at 11 years old.
For me, no other medium can surpass it's depiction of form, surface or light and it's bringing to life of the subject, no matter what the subject.
I fell in love with oils by Old Masters, such as John Constable, William Turner, William Bouguereau and was especially moved by a painting entitled 'The Execution of Lady Jane Grey' by Paul Delaroche
William Turner 'The Fighting Temeraire
Tugged to Her Last Berth to Be Broken up'
John Constable 'Salisbury Cathedral
from the Medows'
William Bouguereau 'Nymphs and Satyr'
Paul Delaroche 'The Execution
of Lady Jane Grey'
This painting gripped me in my early teens at the National Gallery, London. I was fascinated by the realism of the various materials in scene.
This is a realism different to that we may associate with photographs however and is something some artists get into their oil paintings that we feel rather than understand.
Unlike a camera, an artist can bring into the equation an emotional and spiritual presence and can empathise with a live subject, such as a dog.
I could talk about traditional methods of burnt umber wash grounds and building up a painting in layers, then glaze work to create a depth that no print, pastel, watercolour or drawing can match, but the most important factor in good art, as in photography, is being able to see the truth and that is what the artist does, rather than the impartial duplication of the dumb camera.
This is why I like to see your dog in the flesh if possible, because, like when we meet a person, a dog leaves an impression and feeling through a connection that I can then carry on into the painting. I can easily see visual idiosynchrosies, such as a tuft of white fur on the top of the head, that could look like just a highlight in a photograph. I can also see the eyes close up (ensuring accurate colouring in the painting) and look into the animals Soul to get that extra majic something that makes this painting your dog.
I paint on canvas panels or stretched canvas. I work fast in intense bursts, but allow dry times in between coats of paint, so a painting can take several days.
I then varnish with a semi-matt varnish not long after painting, because I work in thin layers that dry fairly quickly.
For more ramblings by me on art, see Art Talk or my Blog
I could talk about traditional methods of burnt umber wash grounds and building up a painting in layers, then glaze work to create a depth that no print, pastel, watercolour or drawing can match, but the most important factor in good art, as in photography, is being able to see the truth and that is what the artist does, rather than the impartial duplication of the dumb camera.
This is why I like to see your dog in the flesh if possible, because, like when we meet a person, a dog leaves an impression and feeling through a connection that I can then carry on into the painting. I can easily see visual idiosynchrosies, such as a tuft of white fur on the top of the head, that could look like just a highlight in a photograph. I can also see the eyes close up (ensuring accurate colouring in the painting) and look into the animals Soul to get that extra majic something that makes this painting your dog.
I paint on canvas panels or stretched canvas. I work fast in intense bursts, but allow dry times in between coats of paint, so a painting can take several days.
I then varnish with a semi-matt varnish not long after painting, because I work in thin layers that dry fairly quickly.
For more ramblings by me on art, see Art Talk or my Blog
