New paint palette arrangement

I stated working with a new color palette tonight, and it is my hope that the discordant nature of my new palette can be effectively balanced out with complements.

In this palette I am working with; 

Titanium white

Portland grey light

Portland grey Medium

Portland grey deep

Cadmium red light

Cadmium red deep

Ruby lake

Sap green lake extra

Turquoise blue deep

Cobalt blue turquoise light

Kings blue light

Kings blue deep

Brilliant pink

Cadmium yellow light

Cadmium yellow deep

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Artwork of the month: Judith.

There was a time when the subject of "Judith" was a popular trend for artists to work on.  The character Judith is a heroine, the savior of her people as a result of her own sacrifice and belief in the Hebrew god.  Judith is a beautiful woman, widowed and del reliant.  Her anger with her people over their mistrust that God will deliver them from the coming invaders army, she sets off with her maid to take maters in her own hands.  

She promises the general of the Assyrians information on the Israelites, gets him drunk seducing him with her beauty.  When Holofernes passes out Judith cuts his head off and sneaks out of camp with it.  the assyrian army is demoralized and disbands not attacking the Israelites.  Judith is a hero.

The book of Judith is not in the Hebrew bible and as a result it is excluded from the Protestant scriptures.  The Catholic church has always maintained the the book of Judith is the word of god and can not be excluded.

The character Judith is a powerful archetype that has been played over and over again.  I would even consider Rosy the Riveter to fall into the same archetype as Judith.  A strong willed, self-reliant, powerfully intelligent god fearing woman, and a patriot.  The Archetype is common throughout history and used as propaganda when needed to inspire a nation.

Judith has been a very popular subject for artists.  The Minneapolis Institute of arts has over 20 "Judith" works in its permanent collection.

Agostino Carracci

Italian, 1559-1602

"Portrait of a woman as Judith"

Oil on canvas, 1590

Attributed to Antonio Gionima

Italian, 1697-1732

"Judith presenting herself to Holofernes"

Oil on canvas, first half of 18th century

Francesco Ladatte

Italian, 1706-1787

"Judith with the head of Holofernes

Terracotta, 1738

Pietro Della Vecchia

Italian, 1603/5-1678

"Judith with the head of Holofernes"

Oil on canvas, 1635-50

Giovan Gioseffo dal Sole

Italian, 1654-1719

"Judith with the head of Holofernes"

Oil on canvas, 1695


There are hundreds of works featuring Judith, but none of them have the impact as Caravaggio's "Judith beheading Holofernes" as it is and always has been the masterwork about Judith.  This painting is a perfect harmony of brutality and beauty.  This painting is at the National gallery of ancient art of Barbarini Palace.

Michelangelo Merisi detto il Caravaggio
Italian, 1571-1610
"Judith beheading Holofernes" 
Oil on canvas, 1598-99

I intend to paint my own version of Judith...
...It will be abstract, but you will know it.

2.4.2_On the application of oil paint.

2.4.2  On the application of oil paint.

  All artists have their own method of applying paint to surface.  I propose the painting process to be a meditative experience, where artists learn about Zein and Dasein.  The practice of oil painting for me is somehow magick in that I always learn something about myself, my world and my philosophy.  As it is always different for every artist I can only speak for my own experience within oil painting.  The application process of oil painting is completely a personal choice for the student, and a choice based on conceptual needs for the professional.  

  How the artist creates an oil painting is honestly irrelevant, although understanding the capabilities and limitations of oil paint is a necessary step to become an oil painter.  Essentially a path of experimentation and dogma for the oil painter, and a must.  For the artist running away from dogma and relying on pure intuition can accomplish many great works, but without a deep study of the traditional methods of oil painting that artist will never evolve any farther than their own sense of self.  Through trial and error the oil painter will find the qualities and limitations of each type of oil color.  Oil painting is a philosophical and spiritual undertaking, painting is revealing of the artists character if even only for a moment.  Working with oil paints teaches us our truths.

  Regardless of personal preference, painting with oils does have a few guidelines that an artist should at least know and practice before moving on toward individualism.  The first of those traditional understandings is that oil painting is sculpting.  Oil painting is sculpting in that the artist builds a surface by applying layers of oil color.  Starting with a thin application of oil color by working in the pigment evenly over the canvas, not adding too much paint but working with what small amount that was originally applied.  Now you have to wait.  

  Oil painting is patience.  The application of thin amounts of paint at first and eventually adding more paint give can only happen in the drying process.  You must wait for the first layer of paint to dry on the surface before you can apply subsequent layers.   I suggest you sit back and look on in silence at your work between applications.  Truly investigate your work as it gets closer to completion.  

  You paint with your mind.  All editing and decision making toward a composition is done in your minds eye.  Working with oil paint is a process of underpainting, and overpainting.  While you wait for your painting to dry between working sessions, the real work, conceptually organizing your composition in your mind takes place.  The first few applications of paint are initially filling in the teeth or weave of the canvas surface.  

  Lastly, the application of oil paint depends on the artists ability to sculpt.  traditionally sculpting is the teacher to the student of oil painting.  The oil painter must periodically sculpt, as it reminds him of the full content of the forms, and reestablish the concept of a surface.

  These traditional methods of applying oil paint may have not seamed to be about physically painting at all.  Albeit, they are the traditional means in which the student of oil painting learns how to paint.  Fortunately, the oil painter is born knowing and acts accordingly when reminded by his mentor who was once reminded by his.  

2.4.1_On Oil Paint.

2.4.1  On Oil Paint.

As I have stated many times the definition of an oil painter is that he use oil paint, anything beyond that one simple guideline closes the door of inventiveness on the artist forever.  There can be no substitute for oil paint.  Not acrylic, watercolor, tempera,  gouache, or encaustics can even begin to compare or replace the quality of oil pigments.  The color quality, the depth, the natural appearance of oil paints is remarkable and unmistakeable.  

  There are no other forms of paint that can get the results of true color other than natural non-synthetic oil paints.  Oil paint has a life force.  Simply take an oil painting into the sunlight to see this life within oil colors produced in natural light.  The dramatic difference between synthetic mediums and oil pigments shows itself and comes alive when viewed in natural light.  Where acrylics and other paint types become dull at best, oil paints become vibrant and stunning.  Oil paints last longer, look better, can be worked with more control and accuracy, and appear more natural than any other type of paint.

Oil paints have been in use since the 1300‘s, but were not used mainly by artists until the early 1400‘s.  It is their long lasting quality that make oil paints attractive for use.  Oil paints are a slow drying medium.  They are ground pigments mixed with drying oils.  A large majority of the pigments used in oil paints are toxic, and care must be taken while working with them.  I speak from the experience of getting sick from mixing oil paints, its not pleasant and will effect you in ways you can not expect for a life time.  Oil paints were chosen by artists when the water-based temper paint were found to be insufficient to produce greater realism because of their quick drying nature.  Oil paints do not dry by evaporating as water-based paints do.  Oil paints oxidize into a dry semi-solid.  As the medium is exposed to air it reacts chemically leaving behind the hardened oil and pigment.  Oil paints are not truly dry until a year after their application.  How thick you apply the paint, the temperature and humidity of the air, and the atmospheric pressure of where you are lengthens of quickens the drying process.  I have a humidity gauge in my studio and I have found that the best drying time for my work to be between 35 and 40 percent humidity.  Anything more and your oils dry splotchy, and anything less and your oils dry too quickly.  The oxidization process of oil paint never truly stops, and an oil painting hardens the most during the first six months.  

As a result of the drying process oil paints dry slowly, permitting the artist to work with the paint for several days after its initial application.  Once the surface oil paint has dried, it can be painted over without harming the underpainting.  The ability to completely paint over dried surfaces allows the artist to edit, glaze, or tint his painting like no other painting medium can.  This coverup attribute to oils allows the artist to manipulate his painting with ease, planning ahead for painterly effect.  Sure you can paint over acrylics, but you can always see the underpainting and it is the same with tempera and watercolor.  

I chose to return to using oil paints out of an accident, and I have never looked back.  In 1996 I was working with acrylic paints, and in the spring of 1997 I ran out of acrylics, but I had a shoe box full of oil paints that my grandmother had given me from her collection.  Without oil brushes I chose to start painting with palette knives, spreading the oil paint across the canvas like cake frosting.  Since 1997 my journey with oil colors has been an industrious adventure.  I came to understand my chosen medium, as I believe it understands me as my relationship with oil painting has granted me an understand of its abilities and limitations.  

I have experimented with oil paints extensively.  Attempting varying layers of texture to tool use to methods of drying and application techniques.  I know what each type of oil paint can do and what brands make the best oil color based on my conceptual needs.  I even know how each pigment will look on a surface when thrown from six feet or more away, and how they also appear after lightly brushing them on in a glaze.  I spent a great deal of time testing different brands of oil paint for a multitude of purposes.  Truly Old Holland oil colors are still the finest oil pigments that I have found.  Mostly the selection of oil color is personal preference, but a professional uses professional materials while the hobbyist can use the student grade.    

Oil paints can be sculpted, thrown, applied with any tool (so long as the chosen tool is disciplined), looks better than other types of paint, and we know that it can withstand the test of time.  I thought that I would have more to say being that I am so involved with oil paints, but I believe that simply stating repeatedly that oil paints are better than others is enough.  

2.1_The fundamentals of oil painting.

2.1  The fundamentals of oil painting.

There is only one rule to being an oil painter.  Use oil paint anyway you can, as all other variables are irrelevant and inconsequential.  There are tried techniques to the application of oil paint, but those also are a variable.  That is not to say don't learn what has worked before you, simply do not be confined by anthers personal preferences.  I say that the single most important fundamental is that the student of painting, the artist, and the master painter, use oil pigments and only oil pigments.  

In chapter 2 I will discuss the fundamentals of oil painting as I see and have practiced them.  It is my hope that an artists reading this in the future will find value within a disciplined study of oil painting, just as this future will generate new and innovative ideas in said artists generation.