Materials

I enjoy painting with oil paints. I have used this paint since I was little , but some colors had been repeatedly problematic for me; so I did not use them. These colors frustrated me, so I did not like them. I had and have an up close and personal relationship with my paint. As time passed, my relationship with paint has progressed. I may have mastered the use of my colors, but I do have favorite colors. Then too some colors are more like-able from certain brands. I have favorite brands of oil paint too, because some are creamy, some are sticky, and some are more highly pigmented than others. I enjoy the different consistencies of the paint. There is even a brand of oil paint that makes me feel nostalgic. I think it is the way that it smells!

I have a relationship with my bushes. I used to have a very definite favorite brush and I was so happy to have it in my hand. In the course of working that brush might get dirty and I would need to choose another. I am more open minded nowadays, choosing brushes for their special properties, but I wish that brushes were self-cleaning.

Pencils and crayons are fun, and their characteristics are very different.A pencil can feel hard , and it makes fine marks with it’s sharp point. A crayon flows in a easy way to inspire spontaneity and looseness. I seem to express myself in a different manner when holding a pencil or a crayon or a brush.

I paint on gessoed wood panels.I am particular about the gesso. I painted on Masonite when I was in high school and art school. At one time I was attracted to brown paper bags and shirt cardboard.

There are artists who are painting with non traditional materials because the materials facilitate their creative self-expression. Some artists think they do better with very expensive materials, and some are reverse snobs. Artists favor different mediums – there are some who love water colors , pastels, or ink or cut paper. All are worthy. For me, the materials that I use are personally  significant and contribute to my creative experience. When looking at the finished product you may never know that artists have  such a deep, ongoing and real relationship with their paint, brushes, and board .