A few weeks ago, I was talking to Facebook followers about my blog. I’ve been blogging now for several years and I sometimes get stuck: I have absolutely no idea what to write about. SO…I asked y’all what YOU wanted to know about me and my work. This post is the second installment of questions and answers. A very special thanks to my questioners. You make my blogging job so much easier!
Is there any piece of your art that you would or could not sell.?
Well, not really. I have done a couple of pieces that I really wanted to keep because the subject matter was really meaningful to me and I was exceptionally pleased with the way the piece turned out. I still hung them on the studio wall but just marked the price up. They…still sold. So next time, I’m either just keeping it or marking it WAY the heck up.
Self taught or schoolED?
Both. When I was a kid, my parents enrolled me in an oil painting class. I loved that. When I went to college, I attended Art Center College of Design, in Pasadena, CA and learned a WHOLE lot about art in general: art history, composition, color theory…stuff like that. I learned everything except how to SELL art. That remained a mystery for many decades.
The technique I use now is one I made up by myself, which makes it so much fun. And it’s a technique that’s constantly evolving as I experiment more every day. I tell studio visitors that I’m kind of like half artist — half mad scientist. I love experimenting with something just to see what happens. That’s how I made up this technique (playing). That said, I don’t think I could have experimented like I did without the tools I got from school. That background was REALLY helpful. There are rules in art. I keep and break them all the time. But you have to know them and understand how to use them and how and when to break them.
How did your style evolve?
When I began this technique (painting on texture and metallic leaf), my paintings were all abstract. At the same time as this technique was beginning, I was also painting more traditional landscapes. Over many years, I learned how to merge the two into a full blown landscape that is textured, painted on metallic leaf. This is all I do now.
How did you learn to use the products and tools you use?
I’ve used nothing but oil paint since I was a kid, because I do NOT like the results when I use acrylics or water colors. Nothing against acrylics or watercolors. I just stink at using them, so I stick with what I know. At some point, you have to commit, right? The other things I use are modeling compounds and gesso (depending on what it is I’m “sculpting” on the canvas. Then I cover the whole textured surface with Italian aluminum leaf. At this point I begin applying my oil paint. Once all the paint is applied, I apply a layer of solar resistant resin or satin varnish (depending on the gloss vs satin factor that I’m going for for each piece). Other than that, I just use rather inexpensive paint brushes, palette knifves and…my hands. I often resort to using my hands when applying the initial texture surface at the beginning of the painting.
That’s all for now. Any other questions, please fire away!
