Experiments with Grounds - 6 & Ratings

"Harvest Moon"

9x12, oil/panel

Yesterday morning, I noticed the full moon setting over Friar's Head. The colors were beautiful and exciting - luminescent pink and blue-violet in the sky, pale blue-green in the water. Rather than return to the Duck Ponds, I decided I'd make my final test painting the setting moon.

Before dawn, I strapped on the backpack and hiked the path through the blackberry brambles and apple trees to our beach. I had just enough light to set up and start. By the time color got to be important in the piece, dawn came, and it was just as gorgeous as the morning before.

This is my last test for the time being. I painted this on an Ampersand Hardbord panel with two coats of Golden Gesso. I found it to be very comparable to my two coats of Blick Master Gesso, and maybe just a tad more absorbent.

I promised I'd give you my absorbency rating. I used a very simple test - I call it the "spit test." I literally wet a finger and touched it to the surface and observed how quickly the moisture vanished. After painting on the different surfaces, I'd say that the "spit test" is a good indicator of absorbency. The list is sorted with the least absorbent first.

(Least absorbent) 1 => 5 (Most absorbent)

Gamblin Oil Painting Ground	1
Blick Master Gesso (3 coats)	2
Ampersand Gessobord	3
W & N Oil Painting Primer	3
Blick Master Gesso (2 coats)	3
Golden Gesso (2 coats)	3
Realgesso	4
Gamblin Traditional Gesso	4
Ampersand Claybord	5

Experiments with Grounds - 5

Trina and I were out taking a walk at sunrise the other day by the Head Harbour Lighthouse, and it was like an episode of Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom." On one side, minke and humpback whales were dining on mackerel. I've never heard so much breeching and blowing! On the other side, a pair of bald eagles was fishing yet another school of mackerel. A few of the local men, who like to gather at the lighthouse to swap news, were having coffee in mugs they'd brought from home. We had a nice chat with them about the whales.

Now, on to more experimenting with grounds! Today I worked with Gamblin Oil Painting Ground.

"Dazzle Days"

9x12, oil/panel

When I opened up the can, I was surprised to see something that resembled putty. It must be applied with a knife. Here's what the Gamblin website says about this product:

"Gamblin Oil Painting Ground makes a strong, bright foundation for oil paintings. Formulated from alkyd resin, titanium dioxide, and barium sulfate, Gamblin Ground makes canvas and linen stiffer than acrylic 'gesso' and more flexible than traditional oil primers. Barium sulfate gives Gamblin Ground its tooth. Titanium dioxide gives Gamblin Ground its opacity.

"Because the percentage of pigments is so much higher than in acrylic "gesso", painters need only apply TWO coats of Gamblin Ground instead of the recommended four coats of acrylic. More coats can be added for smoother painting surfaces. Because alkyd resin is used instead of linseed oil as the binder, Gamblin Ground is more flexible and dries more quickly than lead/linseed oil grounds. Lead/linseed oil grounds must dry for six months and Gamblin Ground is ready for paint application within a week."

Although it seems to be designed mostly for cloth surfaces, it can be used on panels. In fact, Ampersand, who makes the "Hardbord" panels I use, notes: "To avoid having to size your panels and to speed up drying time, you can use the Oil Painting Ground manufactured by Gamblin Artists Colors." This is in reference to applying an oil primer, which would require that the panel be sized prior to application of the primer.

I applied the recommended two coats with a knife and smoothed with a brush. (I let the first coat dry, of course, before applying the second.) My test for absorbency showed this was the least absorbent surface of all, being even less absorbent than my three-coat Blick Master Gesso test.

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I painted on it. Although the least absorbent surface, it seemed to have more "tooth" than the Blick Gesso - I suppose because of the barium sulfate - and took paint well.

The paint got tacky sooner than I expected, but I think that is because of the uncommon dry, warm air we have in the Maritimes right now. If you're looking for a good weather painting spot, this is it for the next week!

Experiments with Grounds - 4

When I visited Walt Gonske's studio last winter, he told me he recently discovered Ampersand Claybord for oil painting. He paints vigorously with a loaded brush and loves to have the stroke break and jump as he lays it down. Claybord, he claimed, gave him just the right effect.

Today's test was with Claybord, and Walt's right! The surface is the most absorbent I've worked on to date, even more so than traditional gesso. For my first layers, I had to add more Gamsol and medium (Shiva Medium Light) to get a flowing stroke. It didn't take long for my first layer to dry. I would not describe this as getting "tacky" - it's a stage beyond tacky, for the paint almost feels waxy. Later strokes broke beautifully, giving the painting a lot of sparkle.

In addition to the painting, I've provided a close-up so you can see the strokes.

"The Broken Color of Morning"

6x6, oil/panel

Detail:

Experiments with Grounds - 3

"Creeping Tide"

9x12, oil/panel - SOLD

This next trial consisted of my old standby, Blick Master Gesso - but with only two coats, not my usual three. Also, I didn't sand between coats, leaving the surface a bit rough.

This one performed more like the Ampersand Gessobord. Still a tad slippery, but not anywhere near as bad as with three coats of Blick Master Gesso. The gesso wasn't as "thirsty" as the traditional gesso panel from Howard & Daniel Corp. but it took the paint well. I had no problem painting wet-into-wet with this one.

I suppose one could go with a single coat of Blick Master Gesso - the jar label states as much - but I wonder if it really would be a sufficient barrier to protect the hardboard from the acidic oils found in oil paint. Unlike traditional gesso, which requires that the panel be "sized" and sealed first, most acrylic gessoes already contain sizing and can be applied directly. (By the way, artist David Rourke has an excellent recipe for making traditional gesso panels here: http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/articles/making-gesso/.) Typically, according to Robert Gamblin, four coats of acrylic gesso are required.

A reader asked me recently if I had close-ups of my tests; I do not. As I told him, my work with grounds is not as rigorous as a scientist might like it to be. My goal is to find a painting surface that works well with my method. At a future date, I'll be doing a real test, complete with absorbency evaluations, test swatches and more.

Experiments with Grounds - 2

Today I decided to try a panel from Howard & Daniel Corp., the "Real Gesso" people. (See www.realgesso.com.) Unlike the panels I've made myself from traditional gesso, these are uniform, nice and smooth.

As part of my testing, I'm trying to keep the variables the same except for the surface. So, once again I headed out with my Gamblin oils, Galkyd and Gamsol with hog bristle flats. I again chose a water scene that was back-lit. As before, I didn't tone the panel, preferring to work on the white.

I found that the surface has a nice degree of absorbency. I was able to lay in a transparent underpainting without the brush digging through to the white gesso, and the underpainting stayed put. This is very important when painting wet-into-wet!

By the way, I'm developing an absorbency test and scale. I'll unveil it when I'm finished with my tests.

Here's the painting:

"Slack Tide, High Water"

9x12, oil/panel