Saturday, July 31, 2010

Vintage Blue Teapot - Sold

"Blue Teapot"
sold

8"x 8" Oil on gessoed illustration board.

This teapot was a birthday gift last year from Kenn and I love it. I think it is from the 50's and has the greatest shape and color. I will be painting it more in the future, this painting not really doing it justice.

With this session I wanted to do another study of shapes and and values, keeping my image simple and quick. To me the painting just looked messy and sloppy so I kept working on it until it was presentable, but not want I had in mind. While doing this study I also experimented with a new paint medium, Gamblin Galkyd Gel. It bulks up the paint and also makes it brush on smoother. I found that it did both, but it speeds up the drying time as well, which I didn't expect. Because I was taking extra time on the piece, my mixed pools of paint were drying and becoming sticky and the paint became difficult to work with. By the time it was all done, this painting was a bear to photograph! As I had reworked some of the background while the paint was drying, deep grooves formed in the surface and all the paint dried with a shiny gloss. Heavier photoshop retouching was needed to remove more than usual "shine" specks on the image. I share all this detail because it is my opinion that to share our struggles as well as successes in our painting journey is a benefit to other growing artists.

I'll experiment with the new gel medium (new to me) some more and let you know how I like it. Next I'll be using some Turpenoid Natural as my solvent and brush cleaner. I'm trying it out because the odorless solvents have begun giving me headaches. The Turpenoid Natural is a liquid, non-toxic, nonflammable brush cleaner that can be safely combined with oil and alkyd paints under certain guidelines. It is not odorless but smell like citrus which is one of the ingredients. After my next painting I'll give a report on it. Gee, let me see what other new ingredients to my painting norms can I add - new style, new brushes, new medium, new colors, new solvent, new computer, and new photoshop. Maybe I should change my name!

4 comments:

Pam Holnback said...

Beautiful piece. Love the reflections in the teapot. i used the galkyd on my last painting trip. It helped my quick pleni air pieces dry more quickly and made it easier to put them into my suitcase for the trip home.

Carol Blackburn said...

Beautifully done, Marilyn.

Debbie said...

... lots of new things, plus don't forget, your new blog design too!
I appreciate all your detailed info, I'm always learning things from your experiences. I've never used galkyd, but I think it must be the same type thing as liquin, which I have used. I should try using it again sometime. I used to put it in a little cup and add a bit of linseed oil to it, it didn't dry so fast that way.

Dana Cooper said...

I like the name Marilyn AND this painting! I will be interested in your take on the new solvent. I have tried the Galkyd mediums but felt they get sticky...uck!