My First Oil Paintings

From inspiration to almost complete, I am super proud of my first ever oil painting. Since this last image, I have added to the pathway, the trees in the background and the growth in the foreground. I love how I channeled van Gogh, was able to capture the haze of the fog and take suggestions from my professor about layering and glazing. 

 This is probably one of my favorite photos from my two week trip. No filters, no editing, Sankatay Light actually looked this painterly. To add to the beauty, my classmates are scattered throughout the landscape, wandering, conversing and taking photos of their own.
The lighthouse was actually moved from the spot in the middle of the shot, there is a person in navy blue, to the current location. On the other side of the black fence to the right is the bluff. The erosion continues to claim the land.

There are still a few strokes of paint I would like to add to this image. However, I am very happy with the perspective and color. I am flattered that based on this image alone, my mom's boyfriend has asked me to paint him something. Just in case I get famous!

I hate this painting! It has changed rather drastically from here, although I don't have a current photo. I think I tried to do too much between experimenting with color and palette knives. It was however good a good experience for a later painting. I hope to go back and add more.

My professor saw this sketch I did, during my mid-term meeting/ critique. He loved how sketchy yet detailed it is. He could tell that I start with a medium ground, add darks and pull out lights. His challenge for the second week was to become a more "sketchy" painter. For me, that makes sense. I was so caught up in traditional American landscape painting, a la the Hudson School, that I wanted to capture every shadow and every leaf and detail. That's hard! I have always worked abstractly, but my brain thought that realistic was how I had to paint.

Given my new challenge, I wanted to try "sketchy painting" out before I started my series.  Just like college, I started this painting after 11pm. I am pretty happy with the sketchy details of pebbles created in under an hour. 

 I think this one is done. Perhaps a few highlights to pull out, but I will wait to see how the others turn out. 

I have a few more layers of pebbles and sand to complete. See the erosion from earlier photos?

 

Adding the reeds in the foreground just today, has totally made a difference. I still need to add a shadow to the "window" and maybe a few highlights. I hated this painting until today and am finally excited to see where it goes.

 You need to turn your computer from here on out. Sorry. Not sure what happened.

There is still a lot to be done with this image. There will be leaves on the darker trees and a wind turbine in the "window." There will also be a shadow with the window. Like the lighthouse painting, the lighter trees are meant to be images of the future. Hopefully it works out. 

Light, Water, Earth and Wind of Nantucket.

in process... the final images are due on Friday the 26th!

Oil Painting Supplies

I was like a kid in a candy store when it came time to purchase supplies for my two week painting course on Nantucket!

SUPPLY LIST provided by the professor

Brushes: bristle flat and round, assorted I spent a solid half hour standing in front of the brushes at the Blick store near Fenway. At least twice a sales associate asked if I needed help. (of course not, I could figure it out! eh) I bought three sizes each of rounds, filberts and brights. I also got a fan brush because Bob Ross always had one! After the two weeks, I realized that I stuck to the brights and rounds, so I will need to purchase more of a selection. After some reading before leaving, I also bought some cheap, one inch wide brushes for washes and a foam roller. I used both.

Metal palette knives, assorted Our professor is loyal to one and only one palette knife. He does not use a brush in his own work. I tried, but they are not my favorite thing. I purchased one for mixing and two for painting, one rounded and one angular, both Blick brand.

Transporting stretched canvas

10-15 gessoed surfaces for painting (minimum 12" x12", maximum any size you can easily carry), choice of stretched canvas, masonite panel or gessoboard The majority of my painting surfaces we bought at Michaels. I kinda hate that fact (since I used to work there and know how marked up things can be), but there was no way I could lug that many canvases on the train home from Blick. I did buy a few from Riverside Art which is a store I would go to in college. It is really out of the way so the trip was more for nostalgia. I bought fifteen and only used eight. I painted slowly the first week, sticking to canvas boards. The second week I used stretched canvas and enjoyed the bigger sizes and the texture of the surface.

Bottle of Glkyd or Galkyd Light oil painting medium
Container of Gamsol odorless mineral spirits
For both of these, I was really happy to have a brand recommendation. I have nothing to compare to, but I liked both. The Galkyd helps with the drying time and while I think I painted with thin layers, I didn't have an issue waiting for paint to dry. However the medium did congeal a couple of times, I am guessing from heat and humidity.

2 small jars with lids I am really happy that I read a book about oil painting before I left, or I would have been totally clueless what these were for! The painting medium and mineral spirits of course.

cotton rags Did you know you can buy bags of these at Lowes? I'll take old undershirts from here on out, but I was happy to know they were available.

wood or paper pad palette I didn't know what I would like best, so I bought both. That's the point of the class to me. I didn't like the wood, but would consider purchasing one with some sort of more washable/less staining varnish or coating. 

6B pencil and small drawing pad for sketches and lecture notes The book I read said never to sketch in pencil. I brought charcoal and drew on my canvas with both pencil and charcoal. I think I liked the pencil better, but I love drawing with charcoal, so I was happy to have it.

1 roll painter's masking tape I didn't realize until the end that this was probably on the list to mask off the edges of the canvases. (Although I find the dribbles of paint interesting, I know it is not professional) I used the tape for the paper palette blowing in the wind, to tie back the curtains to let in the air in the studio and to keep the bags of snacks fresh. I did learn that I prefer Blue Hawk brand to 3M. Blue Hawk held better, but didn't tear or leave residue.

1 roll blue paper towels I had never seen blue paper towels in my life, but in the same aisle in Lowe's as the cotton rags, were blue painter's paper towel. And they are awesome! I like that cotton rags are reusable to a certain extent, but the paper towels were super absorbent and sturdy. I would use them to lay down a wash or to create texture. No crumbly bits left behind!

Optional:

Beer is most definitely optional, but the box to the right is where I stored my supplies

tool box for carrying supplies I kick myself for getting rid of the tackle box I had in college that held all my art supplies. I bought a new "art bin" from Blick with a removable tray and compartments on the top. Its heavy, but it did the trick.

that's me! my classmate was painting uphill and caught me

folding portable stool or chair This was definitely an optional item. Loving being outside, especially at the ocean, I caved and bought a collapsible stool with a carrying strap, cup holder and back. If you're going to splurge, might as well go big! I used it the few times I painted outside, but I mostly stood. Home for just a few days, I have already used it here!

Artists need beverage options

thermos for water, juice or coffee I always have a water bottle, but bought on the island a travel coffee cup. It was necessary

fast orange or other waterless hand cleaner I was given a box of fifty hand wipes for my birthday and used all of them.

Oil colors:
Titanium white (large tube)
lemon yellow
naples yellow
cadmium orange
cadmium red light
cadmium red deep
yellow ochre
raw sienna
ultramarine blue
phthalo blue
cerulean blue
burnt sienna
burn umber
alizarin crimson
mars and/ or ivory black
This palette was definitely a challenge. In fact, I think it was one of the biggest learning curves for me. I've gotten used to the acrylics and tempera paint at school, so now I had all new colors with new possibilities. And no green! I used lemon yellow the most in order to make green, which was a huge part of my paintings. 
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In case anyone is curious, these are the books I purchased and read (for the most part) before I dove into oil painting.

The Oil Painting Book by Bill Creevy I did not read every single word. However there was really great background information about supplies and materials as well as techniques. I was able to figure out a few ways I wanted to start a painting.

Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light & Color by Kevin D. Macpherson For those who have no idea about composition and color this is a great starting point. Once I got through that stuff, there were recommendations about how to start a painting, how to observe, how to build up layers in terms of negative space and shapes and other things we always remind our students but forget ourselves as we are working.

Ringling Art Museum

 As a kid, we always went on little educational adventures. Nana and Papa brought us to numerous museums and parks, including visits to of homes of past presidents. Now as an adult, I think museums and house tours are getting up there with brewery tours as one of my favorite things to do. Of course, the art teacher in me is also appreciative of a nice little art museum! This winter break, I was able to enjoy a great house with beautiful grounds AND an art museum, all with my Mom and Nana in the warmth of the Florida sun.


To me, the Ringling Art Museum is like a hidden gem. Its really more than just an art museum too! I had no idea what to expect, in fact it was either Mom or Nana who asked me if it was going to be all art about the circus. (First of all, this was Nana's idea and second of all, do I really want to spend a day looking at circus art!?) I wasn't even sure if it was the same Ringling let alone where Sarasota was in relation to where I was staying. I knew nothing! And was pleasantly surprised.

Come to find out, it is the same Ringling as in the Ringling Brother's Circus. In one of the buildings on the grounds, which was the old art museum, there was an informative half hour video about the life of John and Mable Ringling. Both came from nothing. Before the stock market crash and the Great Depression, John had made some good investments, including real estate in Florida, and was the youngest brother of the successful Ringling Brother's Circus. He and his wife Mable taught themselves about art and began collecting. Also, like Isabella Stewart Gardner up here in Boston, the Ringlings designed a Venetian pallazo which was their winter residence. After Mable died young and the economy took a down turn, John refused to sell their art collection, even though he was pressured. When John Ringling died, their art collection, home and grounds were given to the city of Sarasota for all to enjoy.

The first building we went to, above, was the circus museum. An amazing artist (whose name I can't remember) built an entire miniature circus. The detail was incredible! It was encased in glass and the lights even dimmed to simulate night, and visitors could walk around to see every aspect of unloading, preforming and reloading the circus. I read Water for Elephants about a year ago and it was cool to compare my visual images to what I was seeing in the miniature. I was surprised to see the book in the gift shop on the way out too!

The next building was even cooler. There was a refurbished train car that was once John and Mable Ringling's car. Seeing the train car in person really brought to life many of the scenes I read in Water for Elephants. Plus, I have been reading a few other books that have taken place between the 1900s and 1930s where a lot of train traveling takes place. I'm fascinated!

But then there was more in there! In another room there were life size wagons with the signs advertising the side shows.

That kind of circus art was cool!
Then Mom and Nana got nostalgic because there the wagons that were used when the circus would bring the parade through town. I don't ever remember seeing these, but the craftsmanship was gorgeous!

Then there was the pallazo.
Mable really took over this project and as the video told us, she spared no detail. I don't know if I could ever live in it, but it was nice to day dream and think myself a part of the Great Gatsby.

AND THEN, there was the art museum.
At this point we had already been on the grounds for hours, with a little picnic lunch at the car (only later did we realize there were tables). I enjoyed walking through the sculpture garden. I also appreciated that in each gallery there were laminated cards with information about the images and sculptures. Nana wanted to catch a tour from a docent. I usually don't mind a docent, but this one went on and on and on. Nana did a great job keeping up and looking interested, but I was getting tired. Much of the collection is also religious in nature or Baroque. It felt like freshman year art history all over again. But, how amazing that these pieces were collected by one man! Try to check out the link at the beginning of the post. You'll be impressed.

 This was probably my favorite piece. The curators even painted the gallery to match and hung a chandelier like the one in the image, just above the piece.

There are four or five Rubens in the collection! Massive paintings filled with symbolism.

Creative use of the bougainvillea!

Such an awesome day.
And I got to use my student discount to boot. Four awesome places for five bucks!

And thanks to my mom for many of the photos in this post!