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During the last 4/5 years I had mostly stopped oil painting, as the fumes from the oil painting affected me too much. My lungs felt like the bottom of a bird cage, (even though I used odour free turpentine). And the next days after painting, I was completely washed out. (a good side effect has been exploring new art materials though) Artists helping Artists But two things have changed that around. Both because of listening to Leslie Saeta's excellent podcast, Artists helping Artists on blog talk radio. Firstly, I discovered a new method of painting, (which was on old method) in a discussion with Robert Gamblin (the creator of Gamblin paints). Basically, you paint without using turpentine or toxic thinners to thin oil paint. That's good, but you still have to use turpentine to clean your brushes. My method was to swish around the turpentine as quick as possible, then wash brushes with soap. But the fumes still got me. No more turpentine Then a couple of years later I picked up the second crucial bit of info. In this podcast Leslie discusses with Symi Jackson of Rosemary and Co. (the artist brush manufacturer) about cleaning your brushes with oil. Not turpentine. Well I had never heard of it. Supposedly many old masters cleaned their brushes with oil. This method was not in any of the art books I've read over 40 years. I was reading a book yesterday about landscape painting and he suggested kerosene to clean your brushes. Shivers. I was a bit sceptical about this method working but I thought I'd give it a try. So I picked up some linseed oil from the local supermarket. And voila. It works. No more fumes. And it has the added bonus of conditioning your brushes ( just like your hair) to keep them all nice. Thankyou Leslie Saeta and thankyou Rosemary's daughter. You've got me painting with oils again. Artist helping Artists podcast A Conversation with Rosemary and Company Artist Brushes And with Robert Gamblin.
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This watercolour painting is inspired by walking along the Merri Creek in Melbourne. (I try to walk a few kilometres every day.)
Up and down and into and out of those small rough treed hills through the northern suburbs to the Yarra. I try to get a mood of enthusiasm and energy reflected in the the abstract movement of colour and rough and languid lines to reflect that foot travel. Plus delicacy. That's why I chose watercolour for many of these paintings because it's the most delicate, watery medium. That Merri Creek area is delicate yet still strong. And sometime's fierce. That's what I believe. Just like the sea. |