With Spring finally here, and the re-birthing that comes with it, I thought I would post some pictures that I have been working on....a sort of re-birthing of old canvases, awaiting their final glazes. Relic is one such painting. My paintings are often based on photos I have taken from my Brooklyn studio atop Clinton Hill where the view is divine and ever-changing. These two pictures give little reference to a "place", like Brooklyn for example, however, they are from Brooklyn none the less, and more so from that inexplicable place that is borne in the studio, owing it's creation to more than a view of the sky or pictures from a window.
So welcome to my place, where some might say magic happens, but I prefer to use the term alchemical oil painting. Long gone are the days that I wondered why my tube oils were inconsistent in color, even if from the same manufacturer and the same pigment. All that aside now, I began making my own colors almost 10 years ago. And while few artists still engage in this archaic act, fewer still know enough about materials used centuries ago.
My pictures are a testament to the use and preservation of historic methods and materials. I will talk more about this later. For now, lets just say I find joy not only in making my painting, but the paints as well, and the varnishes and sometimes the pigments themselves.
This picture, Relic of a sunken day in Brooklyn, is close to completion, but I have posted it here to show the use of lead-tin yellow - a wonderful yellow pigment that I have used for the highlights in my picture. This is an historic pigment and ranges in color from light lemon to deep mustard depending on how it is made. The background sky is azurite and the shadows are a combination of madder and cinnabar.
Next week I will re-post this picture in it's completed state with it's final glaze.
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