“Farmington Maple Tree” 40″ x 60″ oil and metal leaf on canvas – $5,700
Controlling the medium has always been the key to creativity, because it allows the artist to explore new ways of expression. I have found that “drying” has been the major part of this control.
When I was working with large watercolors I discovered that if the studio was too warm, the paper was also and my watercolor paint was drying too rapidly to allow a good flow of the paint. I solved that problem by getting an air conditioner for the studio for hot days and keeping the furnace heat low in winter and wearing more clothes to keep me warm and the paper cool.
Fast drying acrylics always gave me a challenge until Golden developed the new slow-drying paint. It allowed me much more flexibility.
Now that I’m painting with a combination of oils and metal leaf I’ve had to learn a new routine working with drying times. Drying of the oil paint is no problem because I add some Gamblin solvent-free gel to the paint and it has a small amount of dryer. For the under painting background, I also add some Dorland’s cold wax, which also speeds drying time.
It is the adhesive I brush on before applying the metal leaf that has been giving me problems. Although it is supposed to dry in a couple of days, I have learned that there are several variables to that, depending on studio temperature, air flow with fans, air conditioner and furnace and even the thickness of my brush. Every day I touch each painting to see if the adhesive has dried enough to go on to the next step in the process before I decide which painting to complete.
The painting above took several months to complete because of all of the layers of paint and metal leaf and the drying time in between, but the time it took allowed me to thoughtfully consider each aspect of the composition. I even changed some of the leaves during the photography session to make the composition more effective.
