I honestly hadn’t painted since moving until last weekend. I felt bad for it but I always felt as if I would be neglecting my wife and children if I locked myself down in the basement (where I setup shop in the new home) and went into my own world. I realize now that all I was really doing was depressing and denying myself. I’ll attempt to get a picture up here at some point once the painting I did on Saturday is drier, the two I took are much too glare ridden to post.

I’ve removed my paintings from Zatista. I’m not really sure any online art sales sites are worth it anymore, they all seem to simply be awash with reproductions and knock-offs or they are so cluttered and difficult to navigate that a sale is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Updated the links, added the ability to rates posts, changed the layout to an even simpler one, removed my side pages (no one ever clicked them besides), altered the subtitle down a bit.

I may go and change the title itself after posting this, not sure yet if I want to generalize this blog so I can post stuff more often or if I want to leave it specific to painting. A part of me wants to also post about other stuff as well but I’ve been burned in the past by doing that. (At one time I was a wannabe writer for a site called “Disappointed Idealist,” my poems were actually very popular there but it ended up closing, I became less angst-ridden, and took up visual arts instead.) I even limit my activity on social networking sites because of this. (You wouldn’t believe how much friction you can cause by putting agnostic into your religious views on facebook!)

magnolia and jaw bone - framed and hanging by Matthew Stiles 2009

First off here is a slightly better photograph of the last painting, framed and hanging. (click it to enlarge.) It’s at an odd angle because I had to rest against a door to avoid my hand tremor blurring the image. I cannot seem to find my tripod at the moment. And yes, my walls are lime green… I hate renting and not being allowed to paint the walls.

paint and supplies I no longer use

This entire shoe box is all paints and supplies I no longer or very seldom use.

An older tube wringer, in fine shape but stained from a cadmium Orange tube that had the side rip. I used the wringer to save the paint into a glass jar but it made a huge mess of the wringer. I don’t really need two of these and seeing that I just found another (exactly the same) one I’ll use the new shiny one instead.

Dorlands Wax Medium, works fine but I’ve made my own out of only bees wax and turpentine. I feel the one I made handles better, and I like that it’s fewer ingredients.

A quart of Burnt Plate oil. Used a very small amount once in a medium. Just not my thing so off it goes. Stand oil is much better, safer, and smells less.

The rest of it is all paints that I don’t really use. I’m thinking of throwing them as well as the other things up as a lot on ebay just so I have more space. If anyone is interested in any of that stuff I’d be glad to sell it to you.

Next up are the paint tubes I actually use. There not all currently my preference but they work well enough. In order of appearance:

my current lineup of used paints

• Old Holland Cremnitz White. It’s way to pasty and thick. I’ll be replacing it with either Williamsburg Flake White or (more likely) Micheal Harding Cremnitz White.
• Weber Permalba White. Someone at Weber should really realize these are the most annoying tubes possible for oil paint. They let air into the tube if you’re not careful! It’s a mix of zinc and titanium and I no longer wish to use premixed paints either. I”ll be replacing it with a straight titanium white, likely Williamsburg titanium white.
• Williamsburg Cadmium Red Medium, got this one on sale at the factory because the tube was damaged and it had no label. Nice color, expensive but worth it.
• Grumbacher Cadmium-Barium Yellow Light. It’s cut with Barium but it’s actually a very good paint for the price and still tints very strongly. I also like the tint more than other cadmium yellows.
• Winton Yellow Ochre. I want to replace this with Williamsburg Mars Yellow Light.
• Grumbacher Viridian, I actually found this tube in a box of paints after college. I’m not set on a viridian brand yet so I’m just filling my very seldom used green in with this one for now. I’d like to try Gamblins viridian next.
• Old Holland Ultramarine Blue, nice color and consistency. I wish the lead white was closer to this one.
• Williamsburg Raw Umber, I need a  bigger tube of this.
• Winton Ivory Black. I (very oddly) like this cheap-o black. I suppose it’s mostly because it’s such a weak tint that I can easily control it.

I’ll eventually get some Williamsburgs German Earth, a very neutral black. It may kick the Winton Ivory Black to the curb or they may coexist, not sure yet as one is dirt and the other burnt bones.

I’d also like to get Sennelier Cerulean Blue but at over $100 USD a tube it’s not happening very soon.

stuff I don't use very often but need. Mostly framing and cleaning and medium making stuff

Next up is stuff I don’t use too often. Materials for framing, priming, cleaning, varnishing, and making supports. Hammer, tape measure, sand paper, Mineral spirits, stapler, staples, framing points, point driver, framing wire, eyelets, d-rings, alkyd primer,damar varnish, cheese cloth, damar crystals, bees wax, marble dust, rabbit skin glue, old tube lids, a plastic bowl, dry shellac flakes, and finally some brad nails. It all goes in a box in my closet most days.

my daylight CFL snake lamp, french easel and pochade

Next my workhorses. My french easel is now broken, the wood cracked during the winter so I’m not really sure I’m going to be able to use it anymore.

The light is my handy snake light with daylight CFL. My father gave it to me after cleaning out a dormitory a few years back. I’m thinking of putting a lower wattage bulb into it. No hurry though since these CFLs last upwards of five years!

The pochade it very nice. Got it on sale on-line since they don’t sell them around here. It needs a tripod mount added and it’ll be perfect. sometime this year that should happen, money permitting.

mediums that I use to paint

Next, I have the mediums I actually use. Homemade damar retouch, homemade wax medium, Kama Canada balsam, Pure Essential Oil clove oil, Gamblin linseed oil,Gamblin stand oil, homemade medium (turpentine, linseed, and Canada balsam), Kama cobalt zirconium drier (which I’ve yet to use but keep on hand). Not pictured is my Winsor & Newton Distilled Turpentine because I keep it in the box and out of the light.

paint brushes and knives, also a pair of scissors

Finally my brushes and knives in there handy bucket. I need/want new painting knives but haven’t bothered as I seldom use them. My brushes are all Trekell hog or red sable. I want more filberts in the future as the shape is growing on me. I also want left handed scissors, it’s stupid they always charge so much more for them.

Old broken links, as well as links that were supposed to be linking back to this site and were not have been removed. New links will be added within the next few weeks.

Also, trying out another layout, looking for something less rounded.

  

early in the process

Haven’t been putting much work into my painting endeavors as of late. I’ve been allowing my life, and the problems associated with it to creep in and take out all of my typical passions lately. I haven’t much played music or painted for the past few months.

My parents divorce has hit me harder than I ever would have imagined it would. I thought, incorrectly, that since I no longer lived with my parents that it would overall not have a major impact on my psyche. However, it has greatly strained my family ties. It’s something that is getting better with time. Yet, I still find it very difficult to work it out.

I did manage to finish this painting last week sometime. As usual I really feel my camera skills blow and it has overexposed the picture, washed out the darks, and shifted the entire thing yellow. The color shift is, I have no doubt, from the lighting at the time. Good old CFLs may save the environment and lower my electric bill but they have awful color shifting. Unless you get balanced ones, but they’re too expensive to use in every light in a home.

I’m yet again attempting to rededicate myself to painting in a more major way. I realize I am also setting myself up for failure as I’ll be gone this next weekend visiting some relatives but perhaps I can get myself at least posting on here weekly again? Time will tell. I have no illusions of setting timetables this time.

I’m going to restart by taking inventory of what I’ve accumulated since I last actually looked at the entire lot of supplies and still-life implements I’ve gathered. I’ll actually post photos of all the stuff as well. Should at least help me generate some new ideas on how to tie in vanitas and my current life. (I’ve got some already but I want to go more in depth with the feelings of my next still-life. Perhaps dealing with my parents divorce.)

Further I’m hoping to again attempt some plein air work this summer. (I almost wrote spring but it’s already over…) This stuff might not get posted, I’m not that great at outdoor, uncontrolled environments. We’ll see.

I’m thinking this surface will be what I’m using from now on when size permits and the piece doesn’t need a variable surface. For that linen is still the winner.

Next up the oil paints themselves (Winsor and Newton brand)

part 1 (Starts at 5:39) 

part 2 

So, I”ll unglue the back, attempt to strengthen it by adding another coat of rabbit skin glue and then let that dry before attempting to redo the entire board..

Well, after letting it sit for about six hours (the bare minimum) and applying a fracture/cleavage test the glue was MUCH too strong. so I diluted to about 1:12. Another six hours and it’s still just as strong… So I went ahead and upped it to nearly a quart of water now it’s now resting away in a nice warm tap water bath. If it’s still to strong I’ll up to the full quart of water and after that I’m out of space in my bowl!

and FYI, rabbit skin glue is actually a common name for a very high grade hide glue. It’s normally made from cow hides, not rabbits. Although rabbits do from what I’ve been told make a very nice glue. Not to mention they taste quite nice in a stew. It’s quite similar in looks to plain jello, (collagen is what makes up jello and RSG!)