Surface and Texture

This is an unfinished picture of my Surface and Texture painting

Why Oil paint?

Oil paint dates back to Roman times in. Researchers believe oil paint has a big likelihood to have started in west and south east Asia.Surfaces like shields — both those used in tournaments and those hung as decorations — were more durable when painted in oil-based media than when painted in the traditional tempera paints. Most renaissance sources, in particular Vasari, credited northern European painters of the 15th century and Jan Van Eyck in particular, with the "invention" of painting with oil media on wood panel.

Ingredients:

The linseed oil itself comes from flax seed, and this flax was a common fiber crop. Recent advances in chemistry have produced modern water miscible oil paints that can be used with and clean up with water. Small alterations in the molecular structure of the oil created this water miscible property.The oldest known oil paint dates from 650 AD found in caves in Afghanistan.

And finally the real question.. WHY OIL PAINT?

Oil paint is a great tool to create art. It leaves thick, bold, vibrant colors on the canvas which never fades. While using oil paint, shadows and mixing colors comes very easily, and contrast between objects and colors is extremely obvious. Oil paint is also very easy to get accustomed too. Oil painting lets ones imagination come to life. Once a persons hand starts moving, oil paint keeps it going. The magically feeling of watching a painting come to life is irreplaceable. Oil paint also dries very slowly on your pallet, making it much easier to create accurate colors days after already painting.

White Painting

I never got to finish my white objects painting. I wish i didn't use at much blue and made more neutral colors. If i could i would definitely start from the beginning and re-do the entire painting. I think my actual objects weren't that bad but a lot more work could of definitely been done.

A Sense Of Place

In the Andrew Wyeth painting above, the mood seems very negative and sad. the colors include cool yellows, browns, and whites which give the painting its eery vibe. The light source coming through the window does not seem like a fun and happy sun but an unwanted one. Wierdly, the plate, knife and cup and saucer sit alone at the table. Nothing seems to be in the cup or on the plate, and there is not even a fork or a spoon with the knife. Outside of the window, shadows give a scary creepy scene, the trees in the backround do not have leaves on them which helps the negativity.

In Edward Hoppers painting below, happiness is a word i could use as the mood of this painting. Every color is warm, especially the light coming in from the open door. The house seems clean and "homey" which adds to the positive feelings of this painting. The ocean is also always a great thing to think about for happy thoughts and that is exactly what we get! The ocean directly in our backyard.

Where are you at?

Besides keeping up with my blog the hardest part of this class so far is mixing the exact right color for the exact right thing. If the color is even a little off it it very obvious. I think my overall painting technique has been much better including my brush stroke. Past paintings help us understand light, color and value in a painting. As an artist, you learn through older paintings how you would like your setup to look like, almost like learning by design

Some Famous Paintings

Edward Hopper is a realist painter that uses ordinary elements or subjects and makes them more interesting then they already are. For Example, in Nighthawks he takes a simple cafe scene conveys a eerie and myserious "mood". He does this by exagerating light sources and using a very smooth and cartoon like brushstroke. He highlights certain important features by using more vibrant colors further expressing his motives in the painting.