Thursday, January 28, 2010

Agave Plant - in oil


I have added layers of beautiful blues and greens to this painting, but it is slow going as I start to understand how oil paint behaves... I am happy to report that there was much more on the canvas this time than on me! So there is some improvement in my technique of application!!!

One thing that is a bit difficult to get used to is that I cannot hurry the drying process with oil paints. In watercolor and acrylic painting, if you are in a hurry, you can simply use a blowdryer to speed up the drying process. With oil paint, it dries through oxidation, so there is nothing you can do but wait. If you go too far in one sitting, then you end up just pushing around muddy paint, and that's not what I want at all! So, I must learn to become patient. Hmmm..... seems that is a common theme throughout my life. Maybe oil is just the medium I should be working with!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting about the oil paint.

Paz

Unknown said...

Ooh, I love those blues....
It's funny to see a blue painting right now, because I was just admiring the combination of the dusky blue sky with the bluish green traffic lights this morning... (trust me, it was a really pretty combination)
I think I need your Agave Plant on my blue bedroom wall.... It would be so perfect.

Unknown said...

Thanks, Paz!

Unknown said...

Hi Katherine!
Isn't it great to see color combinations in your world that you think would be great together in a painting? You must be a true artist to be thinking about what you see as fitting together beautifully in a color scheme!

I would love to have my painting on your wall! Tweet me or e-mail me at jogiesbrecht@gmail.com if you decide it should be yours. :-)