Long Time, No Post

Greetings! Long time, no post. It has been a busy few weeks.

I’m happy to report that I’ve made progress with the Sahara painting. I did a monochrome study (see above) to work out basic shapes and dimensions.

I also stretched the canvas and primed it with 3 layers of gesso. Next step: 3 coats of titanium white.

Why the layers of titanium white? Why not just start painting the landscape?

Because when light hits the finished piece, the extra layers of white bounce the light around underneath the painting. The effect is to make the colors on top glow and “pop.”

I use this technique with most of my paintings. The extra layers of white can take a lot of time (sometimes a couple of months!!) because each layer needs to dry before the next is added. And if you don’t follow the “fat over lean” rule, the finished painting will crack.

But as bright color is my thing, I find this method worth the extra time. Being a patient painter* helps. Plus I have other landscapes to work on while I wait for the initial Sahara layers to dry.

*Some (and they know who they are) might say persnickety perfectionist, but hey – we all have our little quirks, yes? And I’m told it is one of my more endearing** qualities.

**No, really – “endearing” was the word that was used. ;-)