"Four-Color Fall" 5x7, oil/panel
I'm home again, finally. And it's surprising how long it takes to catch up on business after being "out of the office" for nearly two weeks! In addition, I've also started research for an assignment from The Artist's Magazine on plein air equipment and materials. But this afternoon, I decided to take a break and paint before the fall foliage completely disappears on Campobello Island.
I've put away the turps and pulled out the water-miscible oils. I'm using only four colors from Grumbacher's Max line of paints. These are: Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Red, Ultramarine Blue, and Ivory Black (plus Titanium White.) I've also switched to using Grumbacher synthetic bristle brushes. Last time, as you may recall, I used my natural hog bristles. That was a mistake, because the bristles swell and get somewhat floppy when wet with water. My synthetic flats worked well for today's piece, but they are still a bit too new. I'll need to wear them down a bit.
Finally, I worked on a sheet of Ampersand Gessobord sealed with Golden's GAC-100 and then a single coat of Golden Acrylic Gesso. It had just the right amount of absorbency for me.
Okay, now it's back to research!
