Life Painting: Skulls
Friday, May 23, 2008 | Permalink | Comments [0]
I’ve always avoided painting. I dabbled in watercolor and acrylic for awhile but I never really found the process very satisfying or enjoyable. So, this spring, at the urging of one of my instructors, Dominic Cretara, I decided to learn how to paint in oils.
My biggest concern with oil paint has always been their toxicity. It’s not even the paints that are the worst, but the mediums and thinners that are generally used. Every artist should be concerned about the hazardous chemicals in their studio — artists work with some of the deadliest substances found in the workplace.
But, as it turns out, the toxicity of the materials really hasn’t been an issue. I’ve been working in well ventilated spaces, I wear gloves and an apron, and I use odorless mineral spirits instead of turpentine. Just following some common sense precautions is all that’s really required.
The result? I’ve fallen in love with oil painting. The one quality about oils I thought I’d like the least — the fact that they do not dry quickly — has turned out to be the quality I enjoy the most. There is nothing more satisfying than pushing paint around on a canvas, cajoling and finessing it until it’s just right.
For practice, I’ve been using a skeleton in the studio the paint from. Each painting is 9″ x 12″ in size and took about an hour to two hours to paint using various limited palettes.
Tags: art, life-painting, oils, painting, skull
