Brea Art Gallery

Recently, I was invited to show in an exhibit of plein air paintings at the Brea Art Gallery.
Opening reception for the artists will be this Saturday, August 6th 7:00 to 9:00 pm.

I will be exhibiting 3 paintings of my wine series which you can see below.  Please stop by and say hello!

    Napa Vineyard 11x14

    Red Barn 11x14

Vineyard Barn  10x12

Local Plein Air Painting

Over the past month I've enjoyed a couple of local plein air outings. 

Fellow artist, Wendy Wirth and me (in the hat) catching the last light of the day.

"Wave Study,"  oil sketch on linen.

While painting in Laguna Beach, I took many pictures of the waves.  Back home in my studio I painted the above wave study.

The pictures below are from Laguna Canyon Wilderness Park.  The wildflowers were just starting to pop a couple of weeks ago.



6 Inch Squared Exhibit & Sale

My painting, "Sienna Overcoat" oil on linen, 6"x6" has been juried for the

"6 Inch Squared Exhibit & Sale" at Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA. Framed $300.

Available Paintings

I recently participated in an exhibit showcasing some of my paintings. The five oil paintings shown here are, from left to right:  "Red Barn," (11"x14") framed $650,  "Napa Vineyard," (11"x14") framed $650,  "Kind of Oaky," (9"x12") framed $595,  "Vineyard Barn," (10"x12") framed $625,  "Crystal Cove Cottage," (9"x12") $475.  (Detailed images are available- I'd be happy to send them to you if you are interested.)

Mixing your own pure pigment oil paint

So, I haven't had much time to paint lately.  Have been working lots.  But, I have had a private commission I've been working on and also, have been researching and putting together some information on making paint.

I've often been curious about mixing my own oils from dry pigment but never delved into it.  I've seen a few other artists that have posted some about the subject, but I have learned most from my own research.  Probably what really peaked my interest was the great information found on "Dick Blick's" website about paint pigments and what each manufacturers names and pigments really were.  The second bit of inspiration was Marc Dallesio's painting blog, where as he talks about mixing paint from pigments as well as making his own painting mediums as classical artists did.  I have collected enough materials to experience the mixing of my own pure pigment paint, and here are a few photos and bit of description of each. I hope to continue this subject as a series of small informative articles as I learn and experience what it takes to mix your own paint like the old masters used to.

Please keep in mind that many pigments are quite toxic, and you should only try this while exercising safety and the proper protection for yourselves.  Always wear a dust mask and wear rubber gloves, and read the warning labels!!!!!

Some materials to start................

You'll need, of course some dry pigment, here I have chosen "Cadmium Orange Deep" from Sinopia.  You'll also need a surface to mix on, such as glass or marble, a muller( that big glass thing) some cold pressed linseed or walnut oil, some pallet knives and empty paint tubes to store your mixed paint in.


Carefully pour out approximately 30 grams of pigment, that jar you see above is 100 g.
Next make a little pocket in the middle, like putting gravy in your mashed potatoes.  Then add just a bit of oil, maybe a teaspoon to start, you'll have to add some as you mix it up to turn it into a paste like viscosity like peanut butter.  I actually ended up adding about  four times this much to get it to the consistency in the next photo.


This is what the mixture looks like after mixing the oil and pigment to form a paste.

Notice there is still some dry pigment to be mixed.



Now gather your pigment up into a nice pile and start to grind the pigment and oil together with the muller, this photo is about 10 revolutions with the muller.  You will notice that the pigment starts to get more liquidy as you grind it.

After a few more revolutions with the muller the paint really starts to get runny, at this point you'll want to add more pigment.

Here I've added more dry piment to thicken up the consistency and force more pigment into the oil.  What I'm after here is more like the lean paint of Old Holland paints.

This is about how your paint should look, notice that it is not runny, and there is not an oilyness look to it. I mixed about the same amount more so I could fill up a tube of about 37 to 40 ml.

Both of these piles of paint filled up my tube quite nicely.

So, here is my first tube of pure pigment oil paint.
I'll be back with more of this series soon.

orange slice

Lately, I've been having a little fun with some small still lifes, here is the latest.

The Bowers Musem Paintings and Exhibit

The 2010 Southern California Representational Paintings Invitational Exhibit & Sale

The Bowers Museum

Up next, the Bowers Museum show.  September 11th and 12th Saturday and Sunday. 

Second Place awarded

Awarded second place at "SoCalPapa paints the Back Bay"

juried competition last month!  As part of the awards for this years show, Socalpapa in conjunction with the Muth Interpretive center at the Back Bay, has opened a satilite gallery at the Muth Interpretive Center. The 3 winners, are the first to hang on the walls.  Be sure to visit as it's a wonderful center with first rate displays all about the wild life and the environment of the Back Bay!

More Caspers Wilderness Park

It's so beautiful at this park I had to go back and do some painting of the views there.  I think this will be a location I will go and paint often as there are so many paintings to do there!

Late afternoon or early morning is the best time to paint because the light is best at these times.

Only problem with painting late afternoon, or close to dusk, is that's when the mountain lions come out to feed!  Signs are all around the park warning of mountain lion country.  Still, it's worth it as long as you are aware.

Alright, one more shot...........