Work this week

I did this quick little magnolia (from a photo) just to do a flower painting . This is 8x10 on canvas in oil.

I have been trying to get my oil painting skills brushed up because I hope to be outside with plein air soon. I really am looking forward to warm spring sunshine. This week it has rained and rained---we are not complaining though just a little colder and we would have been up to our ears in snow drifts again. As it is the snow is going away. We can drive and walk without slipping around.

More blue glass this time without the kooky fish :-). "Winter Blues" also in oil, 16x20 on canvas.  One viewer thought that the back ground was too light. I had hoped to catch that overbright glowing light when there is lots of snow on the ground reflecting into a window.  I like the oil for it's blending properties. I could not get that cool turquoise with the brand of thalo blue that I got in the first Blue Fish painting. It  did give me that nice deep blue that I need in the shadows but the turquoise was much softer and not as intense as with the acrylic paint. 

Since I am an impatient painter (there fore love acrylics) and manage to get my fingers in wet oil paint no matter how long I wait, I decided to use Liquitex Cobalt Siccative medium. I can get my blending done and make corrections without waiting days. Love the stuff but clean up is hard. When the paint drys on the pallet it is almost impossible to scrap off. Luckily, I use the back side of old laminated posters for my palette cover and when it is too dirty I just throw it away. So far this winter I have not yet had to change the cover but with the oil siccative that is going to change in another painting or two in oil.

Done with this post--on to more oil painting.