by Diane, Oil and wax painting #2

 Tuesday April 30 I had surgery to correct my droopy eye lids. Immediately after the world looked brighter and I could see much better. Next week I plan to get back to painting.

Third day

 Earlier last week I posted the development of a painting  - my first one since 1963 inwhich I mixed Dorlands wax medium into the oil paint on the palette. At first I mixed just the wax into the paint. The paint was unpleasantly grainy so I smoothed it out on the palette by adding Gamsol which is a refined odorless mineral spirits.


Second day

In my second oil painting posted here I mixed the Gamsol and wax in a used tin can with a lid and let it set until it was the consistency of yogurt. This mixture was half and half.  This painting medium made transparent lines. Over wet paint I drew with charcoal from the logging waste burnt piles. The charcoal was crumbly and made great texture over the oil/wax mixture on the trunk of the tree.





Watercolor painting without glass without visible frame

 


A fresh coat of Golden absorbent ground on canvas boards. When it dries it is matt.



 

When adding acrylic medium to watercolor paint, the medium makes the paint dry hard so keeping the moist watercolors seperate is useful. Left over paint can be kept in a bag with a wet sponge. When painting outside the paint palette will go into an airtight box.



"From my Studio Window" is on a 14x 11 inch canvas board covered with

 Golden brand absorbent ground for watercolors.

 This is my first watercolor in which I mixed  my watercolor with diluted Liquitex gloss medium,

  1 part medium to 2 parts water.  Most of the paint was stable when brushing on the the medium to make the colors permanent, but  some darks smeared.. I suspect I didn't get as much medium in the dark colors that ran into the light colors.
 The watercolor mixed with dilute medium has the same quality as translucent watercolors with some advantages. Watercolor paints is  lighter weight and requires less space in a suitcase. Painting on a personally prepared absorbent ground means the water media can either remain transparent or  take on the appearance of other media.  Gouache white or acrylic white can be mixed in to make it more opaque.. Then more acrylics or oils can be built up over the watercolor. Finally the permanence of the surface does not require the protection of glass or Plexiglass.

I like the glassless presentation of watercolors. Gone are the distracting reflections and all the fuss with framing and cleaning the glass.

Three weeks mixed media painting stuff in a carry-on suitcase

Setting up painting stuff

I spent three weeks assembling  mixed media in preparation for a new painting process for me to play with for three weeks in Hawaii. Almost all of my art stuff fit in a carry-on size suitcase with most of my personal clothing, snorkel,  trekking poles, personal care products, two hats, sandals, spare pair of athletic shoes, and book.
 Also above are the paintings that I started in February in Kailua Kona , the big island, Hawaii. The two white boards made a table and painting support. The bag for carrying stuff from our Jeep to a location also worked as a weight to stabalize the easel.  The painting of a light house is by another artist but it might have influenced my more realistic painting this time..

When I packed, I wasn’t sure the pocket sized Winsor Newton watercolors would be enough, so I took a set of tube watercolors and gouache white. I only supplemented the pocket palette with the tube of white gouache and a tube of Winsor yellow. The heavy cardboard packing for Acquarello hot press paper is unnecessary weight.  The extra clamps were not necessary because the easel was strong enough to hold the table. Also not needed was accordion folded watercolor paper books.  I didn’t carry them on tours or walks because in Hawaii roots and sharp lava require all of my attention to be safe.

In Kailua Kona there is a very complete art store. At Akiani Art Supply I purchased Absorbent Ground White 8 ozs.,  Gloss Varnish UV archival, and Saw Tooth Hanger Adhesive, opening up the possibility of finishing the work to give away.  I gave away the absorbent ground and the spray can of varnish to an artist friend who lives in Hawaii.

Coming home my suitcase weighed 34 pounds. Next time I can reduce the weight. No snorkel unless I have snorkeling companions!  I will reduce the amount of paper and leave home most tube paints. Planning ahead my brushes, mixed media supplies and paper are stored in my suitcase so packing for the next trip will be faster. I became too attached to a painting I thought I would give away. Maybe later after I live with it for awhile.

One collage led me to doing another

My abstract memory painting goal was to focus on organic patterns in movement of the algae and coral. Paper I made in a slurry has the random dispersion I remember from my snorkeling experience in Turneffe Flats.