Free Updates
Navigation
Search
Archives
| | Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Categories
| November, 2009 (1) |
| October, 2009 (4) |
| September, 2009 (4) |
| August, 2009 (5) |
| July, 2009 (4) |
| June, 2009 (5) |
| May, 2009 (4) |
| April, 2009 (4) |
| March, 2009 (5) |
| February, 2009 (4) |
| January, 2009 (4) |
| December, 2008 (4) |
| November, 2008 (4) |
| October, 2008 (4) |
| September, 2008 (5) |
| August, 2008 (4) |
| July, 2008 (4) |
| June, 2008 (5) |
| May, 2008 (4) |
| April, 2008 (4) |
| March, 2008 (5) |
| February, 2008 (4) |
| January, 2008 (4) |
| December, 2007 (4) |
| November, 2007 (4) |
| October, 2007 (5) |
| September, 2007 (4) |
| August, 2007 (4) |
| July, 2007 (2) |
Links
|
 Monday, April 07, 2008
When Homemade Is Best
Posted by richard
 We're fortunate to be painting in a time when there are so many wonderful pastel surfaces commercially available. In the Dark Ages of pastel—not so long ago actually—it was a necessity to know how to make your own, especially if you required a sanded surface. But even with the proliferation of available surfaces today, there are times when a homemade surface fills the bill. To create a homemade, sanded pastel surface, you'll need the a substrate and the ground components (binder, grit and, optionally, a tone): Substrate: This is the surface that the abrasive material will be adhered to. The major consideration here is the archival nature of the product. Heavy paper or hardboard surfaces are favorites. When choosing a paper, make sure it's strong enough to withstand your technique and the wet application of the sanded grit. If it's too thin, it will buckle and warp. This can often be remedied with a thin application of acrylic binder to the backside. Watercolor and printmaking papers of 100% cotton-rag content work well. If a rigid surface is your preference, wood-fiber hardboards or Gatorboard will be more to your liking. Both of these substrates should be sealed first with a coat of acrylic to protect the surface from acidic migration over time. A quick coat of acrylic gesso or painting medium will suffice. Apply the sanded grit and you've produced a rigid pastel sanded board that's easy for travel and easy to frame. Binder: An acrylic polymer works well. Strong, yet flexible, it holds the grit and dries quickly. Acrylic gesso produces a white surface that's nice for most underpainting techniques, and acrylic painting medium can be used when a clear solution is preferred. These can be used full-strength, producing more textured results or thinned slightly with water to smooth. Many artists enjoy using creative brush strokes when applying the ground mixture, as they utilize the brushstroke texture in their finished work. Grit: Traditionally, pumice or Rottenstone powder have been the grits of choice. Pumice comes in varying degress of coarseness: 2F, 3F and 4F are the most widely used. Experiment to see which works best for you. Pumice can be found in most hardware stores and many art supply stores, such as Dakota Art Pastels. Marble dust (calcium carbonate), also available at most art supply stores, can be used when a softer grit surface is desired. Tone: Toning the surface is achieved by the addition of any acrylic color. Remember that acrylic dries slightly darker than it appears when wet. Mix colors together until a desired result is achieved. Finding just the right proportion of the above ingredients in your ground mixture is an individual choice. I recommend starting with 1 cup of binder and adding 3 tablespoons of grit. Weaken this with as little water as necessary; too much water and the binder may be broken, compromising the adhesion. Test this result, and then adjust the proportions to suit your needs. The mixture may be applied in a variety of fashions. A smaller paintbrush will produce more brush tracks and texture, while a larger brush will provide a more even application. Bristles brushes tend to create a slightly uneven appearance while nylon brushes produce more uniformity. My favorite homemade surface is on Gatorbaord using a ground made up of acrylic gesso and pumice, toned with either a warm brown or a warm green acrylic (see photo of materials and finished boards). If I need a black surface, I use acrylic medium and black acrylic paint with the pumice. I prefer to brush it on using a soft bristle brush, alternating the application direction between layers. This produces a soft woven appearance similar to portrait grade linen. Feel free to experiment. Try new surfaces, binders, grits, and tones. The bonus to a homemade surface is it allows us to accommodate our individual style, and we don’t have to worry about them being out of stock or discontinued! If you'd like to read more of my thoughts about choosing supports and my favorite recipes for ground mixtures, see the special report "From the Ground Up" in the August 2006 issue of The Pastel Journal.
4/7/2008 1:28:25 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00) 
|
|
Monday, March 31, 2008
Using a Color Wheel to Make Color Choices
Posted by richard
 We all love color. It's one of the most seductive components of painting. When used with understanding and sensitivity, it can lead to successful results. When left unchecked, on the other hand, it can easily become disturbing and appear artificial. As I discussed in previous blogs, pastel artists can gain considerable color confidence by experimenting with mixing paint, and studying the science of color theory. This is not to encourage a dependency on a mechanical system but rather to better strengthen the intuition we use when painting. When we look at our subject matter, things share a relationship. Objects relate to each other, sharing the same light source ( see my earlier blog on this). This produces a natural harmony and a sense of rightness. Since painting is an illusion, a trick if you will, we have to capture that natural sense to the best of our ability, and we're hindered by visual prejudice. We associate colors to objects and let that symbolic association guide us when making color choices. Skies are blue, trees green, and people pink. A color scene, arranged from a color wheel, can help in making harmonious color choices. Many commercially available color wheels have common color arrangements indicated, such as analogous, complementary, triadic, and split complement (discordant). By choosing a dominant color for the painting, and selecting it on the wheel, we can quickly see these relationships and make our pastel selections accordingly. However, the color wheel is not the absolute truth, telling us what colors we must choose, but a tool. By employing these color schemes, color confidence will be built—leading to a heightened sensitivity for the natural color harmony all around us. Many of us remember the first time we painted a hillside with the guidance and influence of an instructor. Our eyes were opened to the variety of greens before us. After that experience, it became easier to witness these subtle variations. By employing a color scheme derived from a color wheel, you'll be able to strengthen your natural intuition and, after time, be able to simply experience the scene and make wise choices. This will lead to a successful harmonious outcome. My painting, Fall Textures (above; pastel 12x16), used a color scheme of split complement (discord). Dominate colors are purple, blue-purple and red-purple. Complementary colors are yellow-green, and split-complements (discords) are blue-green and yellow-orange.
3/31/2008 11:22:07 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Monday, March 24, 2008
Which Color Wheel to Use?
Posted by richard
 As discussed in the previous blog, understanding color theory and how it applies to our paintings is invaluable. I'm not going to attempt to explain every theory associated with the study of color. What I would like to share is an explanation of the basic artist's color wheel and how it can be used to strengthen our paintings. Since pastel artists don’t have to mix individual pigments to achieve a variety of hue, value and chroma, it's easy to ignore this information, often leading to disastrous outcomes. Arriving at the art store and confronting the color wheel choices can be daunting. The most prevalent is the simple Triadic wheel with its three primary colors. It has worked well for centuries and is a good place to begin. Its primaries of yellow, blue and red are easily understood and simple to apply. There are many commercially available Triadic wheels on the market with most showing complementary, analogous and split complementary (or discordant) color relationships. The other color wheel you'll run across is the Munsell. Around the turn of the last century, a problem occurred when printers attempted to reproduce a full spectrum of color in printing. They simply couldn’t do it with the three basics from the Triadic wheel. This led Professor Albert H. Munsell, through study of “human visual responses to color," to create what's referred to as “a color space,” consisting of three-color dimensions: hue, value (lightness) and chroma (color brightness or purity). He concluded that to represent color accurately, there had to be five primary colors: yellow, green, blue, purple and red. This led to the adoption of cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK color space) for printing. Cyan is a blue-green, magenta is a red-purple, and with yellow, they represent the five primaries he advocated. This is still the system used in all press run printing today. Whether you choose the Triadic or Munsell color wheel, acquiring an understanding of color relationships will prove a worthwhile exercise. In the next blog I'll discuss color systems from the wheel and provide a few tips for using them to create stronger paintings. The Triadic wheel (shown in the photo) is available from The Color Wheel Company (Tel: 541-929-7526, www.colorwheelco.com). The Munsell Analogous Color Wheel from is available from Art Video Productions (Tel: 877-227-8843, www.artvideo.com)—sold by Dakota Art Pastels.
3/24/2008 9:58:12 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Monday, March 17, 2008
Color Confidence
Posted by richard
 Pastel by its nature facilitates a spontaneous application of color. Being a dry medium, mixing is achieved by layering one color over another. This dry mixing is incapable of duplicating the subtlety and variety of wet paint. For this reason an assortment of individual
colors, chromas and values are needed. Otherwise we’re limited in
our ability to accomplish the full spectrum of other art media.
As pastel artists, it’s in our best interest to acquire knowledge of
how colors interact when mixed. The first step in gaining color
confidence is to develop an understanding of the color wheel. It shows the relationship of individual colors derived from light (Sir Isaac Newton
in the 17th century proved scientifically that light held the full
spectrum of color). Today there are two common wheels in use: the
“Triadic,” which consists of three primary colors, and the “Munsell,” which
consists of five (I’ll discuss in-depth their individual
characteristics in next week’s post). A few of the relationships we need to understand are: analogous, complementary, split complement, and discordant. Having an understanding of these and how they create different effects in our paintings will help us to better control the
appearance of color and create color harmony in our paintings.
Even if you never plan on painting with anything but pastel, it’s advisable to experiment with wet paint. As any wet media artist can
attest, learning how to mix individual hues to arrive at specific tones takes trial and error. Individual pigments have their own personalities and, when mixed with others, often lead to exciting outcomes. If you’ve never worked with a wet medium, I recommend oil. It stays wet and allows for prolonged mixing and experimenting. Buy a
minimum of four tubes: yellow (cadmium yellow light), red (cadmium red
or napthol red), blue (ultramarine blue), and white (titanium or a
mixed white). Other combinations may be used, but these colors work well and are readily available at most art supply stores. Place them on a palette; glass works well and is easily cleaned. Then, experiment—play and mix with abandon, taking note of the effects. Over time you’ll become more comfortable with the characteristics of color,
leading to a stronger intuitive response when next you work with dry
pastels.
In the photo above, I’ve arranged mixed colors that represent the color wheel on a glass palette. I mixed them all using one yellow, red and blue. I added white around the perimeter and colors were mixed across the wheel
in increments to show the natural graying of complementary colors.
3/17/2008 5:01:59 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Monday, March 10, 2008
When There Is Simply No Replacement
Posted by richard
 We're fortunate to be painting at a time when there is a wide variety of pastels available. Being able to select from the diverse offerings of many manufacturers allows for considerable flexibility within our individual techniques. Organizing brands for storage and keeping track of our individual sticks within a working palette is when the problems arise. One brand of blue can look very similar to another. Finding an exact replacement when a stick wears down can prove to be very frustrating, leading to many hours of searching—time that could be, and should be, spent at the easel. I've implemented a few simple procedures into my pastel workflow, which has made things a little easier.  To begin with, when placing a new stick of pastel into action, break it into a usable size (refer to my September 3rd blog entry) and keep the remaining piece within its wrapper. (See the photo showing drawers of half-stick pastels with their original wrappers.) Most pastels come with a label identifying the pigment by name and by a numeric code. By retaining the other half of the stick, it's easy to match the little piece in need of replacement. Since some pigments are very similar in appearance, and some sticks come with a slightly off-colored outer-shell (due to the migration of binder to the outer surface during the curing process) it's helpful to make a mark on a paper surface for a better match. Another strategy is to acquire the printed brochure for the pastel line and mark the ones in use. Spending a few minutes highlighting the pastels in use makes them easier to track down when replacing. Since these printed brochures are rarely accurate, a handmade color chart becomes an even better form of identification. Dakota Art Pastels has done the hard work for us by selling handmade color charts of the major brands (see photo). Another tip is to heavily weight your pastel palette to one brand. If a palette consists of a full set of one brand, make note of it, then supplement with the other brands to fill in the missing pieces required for your working style. Make note of these extra additions on a piece of paper with the brand, individual stick name, and code information from the label. When you notice a stick wearing down, start the search with the majority brand. If not found there, refer to your extra pastel notes for the others. After working with a specific palette, you'll find favorites, which you'll rely on more than others. If a specific pastel becomes a favorite, or you notice that it's being utilized a lot, it's wise to buy duplicates. Having a few of these old friends set aside in case manufacturing changes occur will keep your paintings flowing, uninterrupted. I'm not recommending you hoard pastels—although you may want to watch for the yard sale to be held after my demise.
3/10/2008 10:39:49 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)
|
|
Monday, March 03, 2008
Turning the World Upside Down
Posted by richard
 One of the issues we deal with when painting is allowing ourselves to see without prejudice. Our eyes work in unison with the mind, and other senses, compiling visual information into something understood. Think of the eyes as the camera and the mind the processor. The eyes focus and adjust to varying lighting conditions allowing a visual arrangement of shapes, values, and colors to be processed by the brain. Once recognized, the brain associates something known to these images and we relate our understanding to them. This is where our experiences join with our emotions to form prejudice. The older we become, the more our brain (the hard-drive of our beliefs) becomes filled with bits of information. Children’s brains, having been unexposed to visual bias, see things fresh and anew. We glace at something and without even pausing, associate a definition to it whereas a child will pause and ask: What is that? Our symbolic association leads to overstated detail and exaggerated definition in our work; we paint what we believe is there instead of really seeing. To clean up our mental hard-drive and allow our internal computer to work efficiently, try this simple trick—look at things upside down. By observing subject matter in this way, the mind is unable to quickly associate its prejudices to the visual symbols the eyes are sending. This allows us to see the simple shapes, values, and colors, leading to a stronger painting that relates better to the natural world. When painting from printed reference material, turning the reference upside down easily facilitates this. Working on location, or from life, is harder unless you're able to bend over and look through your legs for prolonged periods of time (something I gave up years ago). This is when a mirror comes in handy. Often used to look back over our shoulders to reverse the painting, it allows us to see lateral distortion (another big issue). It can be placed against our foreheads and angled so that when we look up into the mirror we see what lies in front of us, upside down. I use an automobile clip visor mirror found at most auto/variety stores. Inexpensive and portable, this mirror goes with me when I work en plein air as well as back in the studio. With practice, we internalize this simple visual information and become less dependent on a prop, evolving into the intuitive painter we all aspire to be.
3/3/2008 12:07:38 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
|
|
Monday, February 25, 2008
Preparing for a Workshop
Posted by richard
 One of the great pleasures we can experience as painters is having the opportunity to work with another artist. Being able to watch the formation of a
painting, to ask questions clarifying the information discussed,
and to have individual guidance at our easels makes a workshop
precious. Fortunately, we live in a time when travel is easily
accomplished, and workshop schedules are readily available within the
pages of art-related magazines like The Pastel Journal and The Artist Magazine. Before deciding to work with an artist, my advice would be: 1.
Study the artist's paintings, enquire about his or her teaching style,
and ask yourself what it is you hope to gain from the experience.
Knowing what you wish to gain will help in communicating better with
the instructor. I often inform my students that I'm not a mind reader,
so it's their responsibility to ask for the information they
seek—instead of waiting. Decide if you're looking for
validation or a kick in the pants? Is it the instructor’s personal
style that interests you or the chance to work in an exciting location
with a peer? You should come to a workshop expecting to struggle. You
should be painting outside of your comfort zone, taking chances,
and pushing yourself to adapt to new procedures. Leave your ego at
home. You're not there to prove anything to the other participants or
to the instructor, but to humbly grow. 2. Make your travel and
lodging plans well in advance. Contact the local coordinator for
guidance. They're usually familiar with the location and can provide
individualized advice. If possible, arrive a little early to become
familiar with the logistics, providing some time to relax. Having a
good night's rest and knowing where the workshop is meeting helps in
relieving the stresses associated with a new adventure. 3. Put
effort into acquiring the requested supplies. If you wish to emulate an
instructor, using the products they employ will improve your chances.
Bring some photographic representations of your paintings to help
familiarize the instructor with your work. As a teacher, I find these
very useful when working with someone for the first time. Don’t expect
to show every painting you have ever produced and know that originals
may not be appropriate at the beginning of a workshop. But a small
portfolio, or a few photographs, tucked into your painting bag can
prove very helpful. By being better prepared for the physical
and mental requirements of a workshop, we afford ourselves the
opportunity to leave more excited, ready to continue our personal
artistic journey wherever it might lead. And watch for me; I might be the
fellow next to you at the next pastel workshop you attend! The photo (above) is courtesy of Garry McMichael, and was taken at a Minnesota workshop I conducted in August 2007.
2/25/2008 12:58:43 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
|
|
Monday, February 18, 2008
The Window Frames of our Paintings
Posted by richard
One of the key elements of composition is format (the space in which we decide to place our painting). These outer shapes are akin to windows in which we compose the elements of our paintings. Basically there are four: horizontal-rectangle, vertical-rectangle, square, and oblong. These formats (shapes) communicate in different ways and, when chosen wisely, can help to strengthen the overall presentation and better communicate our concept to the audience.  In landscape painting, the horizontal-rectangle is associated with the earth and the way humans see. When we look at something, our vision is focused on a single space but due to the lateral placement of the eyes, we experience peripheral vision (perception). This creates a natural horizontal format. For this reason, the horizontal-rectangle format is the most common and is considered to have a calming, grounded effect. The vertical-rectangle format is traditional to portraiture, because it replicates the human face, creating a narrow upright view. When applied to the landscape, this format forces the viewer to span up and down, producing a tension (uneasiness) within the scene. The square format forms a natural bulls-eye and creates tension as well. Finally, the oblong format exaggerates the horizontal and grounds the viewer, allowing for a panoramic scale.  When deciding on a format, I remind myself of my initial concept: what was it that interested me and what do I want the viewer to feel about the scene? After pondering this for a while, I draw a few thumbnail sketches in a variety of formats to help solidify the idea. As these quick sketches evolve, it becomes clear which format best facilitates the concept, often leading to a different format than first considered. Another way of utilizing format is to reinterpret a successful composition from a previous painting into a different format. Don’t approach this as one being better than the other—just different. By challenging yourself to produce within the new format, you will gain insight into the strengths and weaknesses of what each has to offer and better your intuitive skills when choosing your next composition. My pastel Morning Light, shown here, I painted in both a 12x24 horizontal-rectangle format and as a 15x15 square.
2/18/2008 5:14:48 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
|
|
Monday, February 11, 2008
Protecting Unframed Pastels
Posted by richard
 Question: When you're finished with a pastel, how do you keep it protected until you frame it? How do you transport it from the site where you're working and how do you store it? Answer: Due to the fragile nature of pastel, extra caution needs to be employed when storing and transporting our paintings—either home from a day painting or to the framer. My method is to attach my pastel surface to a drawing board support that's larger than the painting and cover it with glassine paper for protection (see photo at above). Glassine is the barrier of choice due to its anti-static nature. When removed, minimal amounts of pastel are affected, leaving no noticeable alteration of the painting. If glassine is hard to obtain, tracing paper can be substituted (most retail art supply stores carry tablets of various sizes). Some artists, when traveling, transport their paintings between the pages of tracing paper within the tablet. Avoid plastic as a protective layer; it has a high static charge and tends to pull considerable pastel off the surface (the same reason many avoid using plexiglas when framing). In the studio, I stack my drawing boards with paintings in varying degrees of completion vertically against a wall, providing easy access.  When working on location, two systems have served me well. One is to use a wet panel box built for transporting oil paintings (see photo at left). These hold the drawing boards that the paper is adhered to, allowing for travel with multiple supports—ready to employ in an instant. My cases and drawing boards are 16x20 and 18x24. They hold 6 panels each and are stored in the rear of my vehicle, providing easy access. If you work on rigid panels like Ampersand Pastelbord or Richeson's new pastel panels, you can acquire a case specific to the size of the panel: 8x10, 9x12, 11x14, and 12x16 are popular dimensions. Since this is too much to transport on a flight, I have limited myself to three Gatorboard drawing boards (light-weight and strong) with individual sheets of paper and glassine. These are placed between the Gatorboard and secured together with large clips available from an office supply store. I place a note on the boards to alert the TSA inspector of their fragile nature, explaining that the boards are “artwork” and “pastel-chalk” in both English and the language of the destination country. To protect the contents of the suitcase, these are placed in a clear plastic bag and sandwiched in the middle of the baggage. The next day's painting adventure is readied by adhering the pastel paper to the drawing board with drafting tape, which is easily removed, yet holds well. Back in the studio, paintings requiring long-term storage without the protection of framing are placed in large flat files with glassine protecting the pastel surface. Or, they are sandwiched together and placed in archival photo boxes (available at professional photo supply stores). Once a year I reassess these stored paintings, destroying some and reworking others. Having a secure system for preserving the paintings allows for them to be as fresh as the day they were set aside, even if I am not! At top: Pastel painting protected by glassine.
Above: Case for transporting pastels done on location.
2/11/2008 3:07:43 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
|
|
Monday, February 04, 2008
Let It Snow and the Pastel Flow
Posted by richard
 As February begins in Oregon we find ourselves experiencing yet another storm. The words "cold," "damp" and "gray" are often associated with the Pacific Northwest. Luckily, here in the southern portion of the state, we have had snow, creating quite a bit of excitement for the landscape artists. Since it melts rather quickly, and pastel is vulnerable to dampness (its binder being water-soluble), I choose to work quickly in oil or sketch on location, bringing these studies back to the studio as reference for pastel paintings. Photographing these fleeting scenes is also useful, preserving many locations and lighting conditions, while allowing for minimal exposure to the elements. What the camera produces should always be suspect, however, to the trained eye of the painter. Often the value range in the photograph is lacking, either exposed for the shadows or the lights, and thus leaving the opposite void of detail. Color is only as true as the film and processing, or the technical ability of the digital photographer (I will explore taking better reference photos in a future blog). One tip when photographing snow in brightly lit situations is to over-expose by at least one stop. The light meter built into the camera doesn’t understand the scene is made up of a majority of white, highly reflective surfaces, so it under-exposes the scene, producing an overly dark photograph. Even with digital it's advisable to compensate by exposing one under-stop. Example: Camera meter reads shutter speed 250, aperture f11—set the shutter speed to 125, or the aperture to f8.  Since snow is so reflective it's more prone to reflecting color. Our mind associates white to snow and often overlooks the subtle color tendencies. As an artist friend said: “ Our minds have a built in white balance feature” (referencing the setting in digital photography that adjusts the camera for a neutral color balance). In general, the light sunlit areas will be warmer (towards yellow, orange and red) and the shadows will be cooler (towards blue-green, blue and blue-violet). Since most snow paintings will have a dominance of cool tones, it's advisable to work on a warmer, toned paper or an underpainting with warmer tones to establish a harmonic bias towards warm (this is true for most landscape painting). As pastel is applied on top of this warm underpainting, it will appear cool to our eye and we will naturally adjust our pastel choices to better relate to the undertone, producing a warmer harmony that feels more natural (to read more about this, see my blog entry on simultaneous contrast). Even when the finished painting is dominated by the cooler side of the color wheel, a warm underpainting serves us well. My underpainting, shown above, for my finished winter landscape in pastel (at top) was done in watercolor on mounted Wallis paper. I know some of you living in more extreme winter areas have found ways of working on location in frigid conditions. I applaud you. For me, a nice visit to the location for inspiration, followed by an afternoon in the studio with a hot cup of coffee and Vivaldi on the stereo, makes for a perfect winter pastel experience. By the way, I can’t wait for spring! Sapphire Afternoon (above; pastel, 18x12) by Richard McKinley Richard McKinley is a regular columnist for The Pastel Journal. See his column in the current issue of the magazine.
2/4/2008 10:52:53 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
|
|
Monday, January 28, 2008
Follow-Up Q&A
Posted by richard
Shortly after the “Keeping Records of Your Paintings” blog was posted a few weeks ago, questions starting arriving concerning information on the back of the painting pictured there. The inquiries concerned: how my coding system worked; what tape I used to seal the back edges; and what my artist statement had to say. My coding system is divided into three sections separated by a dash. The first number designates the paintings sequence in the year, the second letter or letters denotes the medium (“P” for pastel, “O” for oil, and “WC” for watercolor), and the third set of numbers signifies the year it was completed in. Example, 23-P-07 signifies that it was the 23rd pastel of 2007. This code is simple yet telling, often providing enough information to jolt my memory. When a client refers to this code, I can easily reference it in my logbook and review its history. When finishing the back of our pastel paintings, it's wise to seal the edge between the frame and backing. This helps to protect the artwork from moisture, dust, and insects. Traditionally, a paper dust cover is glued to the frame and trimmed to the edge, providing a clean professional surface. If your paintings are frequently transported, you may find an alternative product like framer's tape provides more stability when compared to the traditional dust cover, which can be easily damaged. I use an extra backing board of acid-free Fome-Core and seal it to the frame with “Intertape Brand” 2-inch framer's tape purchased from my local art supply store. This can be removed easily, yet seals the back and provides a clean appearance. The artist's statement I attach to the back of every painting is not formal but provides insight into my artistic goals. It begins with a brief biography covering professional interests, organizational affiliations, and publications. The “Personal Statement” which follows explains my artistic motivation. This is a copy of my current statement.
Richard McKinley, PSA, PSWC-DP, NPS
Richard McKinley has been a professional working artist for 35 years and has over 30 years of teaching experience. He is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and Northwest Pastel Society, Signature Distinguished Pastelist with the Pastel Society of the West Coast, Signature Master Pastelist Pastel Society of Oregon, and a member of the Oil Painters of America. His work is represented in several national galleries and is a frequent contributing editor for the Pastel Journal Magazine. His work has been included in several books including: A Painters Guide to Design and Composition by Margot Schulzke; Painting With Pastels by Maggie Price; and Pure Color: the Best of Pastel edited by Maureen Bloomfield and James A. Markle (all are North Light publications). An avid plein air painter, Richard divides his time between painting the locations he is passionate about and reinterpreting those paintings back in the studio. For more information about Richard, visit his website www.mckinleystudio.com
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Trying to capture a piece of the world around me in paint is something that has consumed my life since I was 13. It led me to study the techniques of master painters—from the Renaissance to the Modern. Oil and pastel are the mediums I use to convey this personal vision. Working very closely with nature "en plein air" (on location), has led to a much greater appreciation of the natural world. Photography (a useful tool) is not a substitute for being there and becoming a part of the exchange of nature, eye, and mind. Light is the motivating factor; without it there would be nothing. Rembrandt was once quoted as saying, "You have but one master and that is Nature."
My goal is to capture a piece of the spontaneous dance of light across the palette of nature. Working on location forces me to get in touch with the moment, allowing no time for detailed studies of things. I hope my pieces are like a glance—when we see something that makes us linger for a moment. —Richard McKinley
The code, use of tape, and artist's statement are merely means of providing a tracking system, an efficient way to protect the reverse side of the framed painting, and a little information about myself for the purchaser. If some of you have tips or would like to share what's on the back of your paintings, please post a comment. I appreciate the questions; keep them coming! Richard McKinley is a regular columnist for The Pastel Journal. See his latest article in the current February issue of the magazine.
1/28/2008 10:47:47 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
|
|
Monday, January 21, 2008
Mounting Pastel Paper, Part 2: I Can Do It Myself!
Posted by richard
 Mounting pastel paper to a strong backing board is something that most artists can accomplish on their own if they spend some time practicing and acquire the proper materials. The process has the potential of becoming a messy undertaking, so it's best to allocate a day or two to the task—preparing the required materials and then mounting as many surfaces as possible. Since the glue used is moist, the process is referred to as “wet-mounting” and is not considered as archival as the dry-mount tissue/press process described in the previous blog. While the dry-mount method is reversible with the application of heat, the wet-mount method requires water or other solvents (depending on the glue) to be reversed (Check individual product information for specifics). Since a pastel painting could easily be damaged with the application of a wet product, it becomes nearly impossible to reverse the mounting process, producing a permanent outcome. For this reason it's of the utmost importance to utilize the highest archival standards possible. For the substrate, I recommend 100% rag museum board because of its porous surface, which has a better chance of bonding to the adhesive. Avoid foam board, even if it's acid-free, as it's easily dented and damaged. If you choose to use another surface, check its PH and acid content before proceeding. For the adhesive, you'll need a glue that's PH-neutral and acid-free to prevent corrosion. Two adhesives I have used with success are Vacu-Glue 300, from Seal Company, and PH Neutral PVA, a Lineco Company product. Both are reversible with water. I'm aware of other artists who use acrylic gloss medium which, once dry, is impervious to water. With acrylic medium, you must work quickly to get a good bond before it has a chance to dry. Note: with heavy water-based underpaintings you should limit the amount of moisture placed on the surface. This is especially crucial around the edges, which easily wick water, releasing the bond. Otherwise, an adhesive that is not water-soluble (like acrylic painting medium) may be the best choice. (In the photo above, you can see my setup of supplies for mounting Wallis pastel paper to rag board.) The procedure works this way: Cut the pastel paper to the desired painting size and the mounting board a little larger; this allows for positioning without being overly precise. The boarder makes for easier handling and attachment to a rigid support, adding stability. The excess boarder may be removed with a sharp X-Acto knife after the painting is complete. Place the pastel paper upside down on a disposable surface like newsprint (which needs to be discarded after every preparation to hinder glue contamination of the painting surface). Apply the adhesive liberally to the back of the paper with a brush. Keep this application as wet as possible until the paper is adhered to the mounting board; otherwise, a good adhesion may not occur. Carefully flip it over and position it on the mounting board, applying gentle pressure to the center and then working your way out toward the edges. If glue seeps along the edge, quickly wipe it away from the pastel paper so that it doesn’t affect the pastel surface. A rubber printmaker's brayer or similar device can be handy for this part (make sure no glue gets on the surface of the roller). Lay the mounted paper on a hard flat surface and apply weight; I use a large, smooth sheet of hardboard with gallon cans of paint placed on top to add weight. When doing multiples, stack one on top of the other and leave to dry overnight. The next day, they should be ready to use. If curling occurs due to shrinkage of the adhesive, tape the mounted paper to a drawing board before painting. When completed, framing should keep it flat. If curling is severe, flip the mounted board over and apply a coat of acrylic gesso or similar acrylic product to the back. When it dries, the board should be considerably flatter. Many of you may have come up with similar or even better procedures; what is of the utmost importance is to create an archival surface by utilizing acid-free, PH-balanced products. A lot of money can be saved by mounting pastel paper ourselves, but it does impose on precious painting time. Allow for experimentation with the process before producing that masterpiece. With practice you'll have it down to a science and reap the benefits of a perfectly flat rigid surface.
Richard McKinley is a columnist for The Pastel Journal. See his latest article in the current February issue.
1/21/2008 10:08:17 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
|
|
|