Trajectory of a Painting - Part 1
At the end of 2020 I decided it was time to go back to painting. During that year I made failed attempts; to be honest I have been failing at it for quite some time, and still am! I had lost interest, not in the process, but in the kind of work I was making. Things had become stagnant and predictable, and I became bored. Drawing was my new focus and it has been the reason why my following on Instagram has grown. The more likes and follows I receive the more drawings I make.
Slowly I began immersing myself back into painting. First by re-tubing old paint that needed salvaging, or by mixing colors. I looked at unfinished paintings to see if I could continue work on them or if I needed to scrap them. A 24x30 inch landscape I invested many hours on has been completely covered to make way for new possibilities. During 2020 I had also been listening to podcasts and picking up tidbits that could help me in my practice. An advice from a painter in an interview was to shake things up by introducing a new brush shape or size, or maybe a new color. I think the podcast with most significance in helping me get back to painting has been the Art Grind Podcast. Their recent interview with George O'Hanlon and Tatiana Zaytzeva awoke the interest I've had for art materials and their history. They spoke about their paint, the way it's made and the way it handles. I've always known about their paint being excellent and also being the closest we can get to the kind of paint the old masters used. Their oil colors are nothing but linseed oil and pigment, no other additives are mixed. I have used their paint before but only in small amounts, and mixed in with other modern color makers. So I decided to snap out of my painting funk and try a new color palette, and using mostly Rublev colors in one painting from beginning to end. So far this is working like magic and I am happy to report that my new painting is coming along nicely.
Current palette:
White - mix of Rublev Lead White #1 and Williamsburg Titanium White
Williamsburg Ultramarine Blue
Rublev Chrome Ochre
Rublev Vicenza Earth
Rublev Lemon Ochre
Rublev Hrazdan Yellow
Rublev Ercolano Red
Rublev Chrome Green
Rublev Nicosia Green Earth
Rublev Cyprus Burnt Umber (Warm)
A year prior I made an attempt to paint a landscape from imagination. I was inspired by a Marc Dalessio painting of Italy, I loved the composition and the feel of the colors, and I thought I could take some elements from it and use it in my work. After the first layer I set the linen aside. Painting from imagination is very hard, I have always had a drawing or photo as reference if I am painting in the studio. Most paintings need to be well planned for them to be successful, and here I was winging it. It is no surprise that I was not happy with the outcome. The canvas was left leaning in a stack on the floor for quite some time, and eventually I thought it was time to see it through. Putting to use my new color palette I applied another layer of color, still searching for what will be the final image. Things started falling into place and I reached a composition that could work.
The new color palette was interesting, and I was surprised as to how much chroma I could get from mostly an earth tone palette. The great thing about using Rublev colors is that I had no need to dip my brush in my medium cups. The paint flowed in a way I had not experienced before. Because I was not diluting the paint, the brushwork became more rich. I was beginning to see the kind of paint consistency I admire when looking at paintings in museums. This paint has allowed me to get the painterly texture I have been seeking in recent years.
So what is the problem with using mediums? Modern oil paints are made stiff, and 99% of the time are mixed with fillers, extenders, and preservatives to extend their shelf life. Nobody wants to see a tube of paint oozing oil in the store, so to keep the paint nice and thick additives are mixed in. Additives change the way oil paint behaves, it becomes short, and to make them flow on the canvas we've been taught to use solvents and mediums. Solvents can weaken the bond of the oil and pigment, thus compromising the strength of the paint film as it hardens over the years. Too much oil in the medium will cause color discoloration over time, and even cracking. I'm always afraid that I might be using too much oil in my paintings, even though I barely touch the surface of the paint medium with the tip of my brush. Using Rublev was a nice change for my practice, although I should warn that because their paint is so pure, the pigments do separate from the oil in the tube. Every time you squeeze paint out you will get a substantial amount of oil. I either let it drain on a paper towel, or place a small piece of paper towel on top of the mound on the palette to soak up the extra oil.
In all, I was very happy with the results I was getting from this new paint. I began getting some nice textures without trying, which I was very excited about. I continued exploring this new way of working and the painting continued to develop over months, and I am happy to say that I finished it in May of this year! I will continue the process of this painting as series in this blog, please check back soon as I keep writing. about the trajectory of this landscape painting.
