More Discoveries in the Studio

As the temperature in my studio rises, my paints seem to be drying slower. ?? Or maybe my walnut oil medium is the culprit. I’ve realized that it’s slower drying nature is not the best for detailed portraits but ideal for my swirling abstracts. So I’ve switched to stand oil for the portraits which seems to be working well. I’m still enjoying my sweet- smelling and non-toxic studio, my non off-gassing paintings, not having to wear latex gloves and not having my allergic sneezing fits from solvent fumes.

I was still having trouble this past month letting go of my vibrant cadmium paints. But I’ve now discovered many wonderful, permanent pigments out there that are just a slightly different hue. I’ve also learned that the Old Masters never used cadmium paints. It wasn’t used until the 1800’s! And to top it off, Cadmium isn’t even permanent! If your painting gets hit by sunlight (UV) just once, the cadmium changes chemically and becomes muddy and unstable. And for the cherry on top, if mixed with turpentine and dripped on your skin- it goes directly to your blood stream. I’m convinced.

I’m applying to several art residencies right now to focus on my Earth Art project full-time, uninteruppted by “life”. To experiment with finding my own pigments from soils, seaweeds, berries, etc. and new surfaces like bark, wood, woven fabrics, etc. and connect even deeper to the earth with my art. Stay Tuned….