Gouache On the Go

 

I've been on the road lately, and I left my oil paints at home.  This trip was primarily devoted to spending time with friends and to exploring new territory--Puglia, Italy, to be precise.  But I could not leave ALL painting behind, so I packed a portable gouache setup.

What, might you ask, is gouache?  (It rhymes with "squash").  It is a water based pigment, in the family of watercolors.  But unlike traditional watercolors, which are transparent, gouache is opaque.  Because it is opaque, it allows you to paint light over dark, as I am used to when working with oils.  And you can go back and make corrections, which makes it much more forgiving than traditional watercolors.

There are several reasons that gouache is great when traveling.  It requires no flammable solvents, because it cleans and thins with water.  You can use gouache on watercolor paper or other lightweight supports (much lighter in the suitcase than linen canvas).  It dries in a flash.  And I don't even need an easel--I can just balance the painting on my lap or on a tabletop while I work.

Gouache takes some getting used to, primarily because the colors change somewhat as they dry.  The darks tend to dry lighter, and the lights tend to dry darker. But once you adjust to that quirk, it's a wonderful medium for the right occasion.  Great for short painting sessions, for capturing an impression, and especially great for travel.  I'm becoming a fan.

I'm illustrating this post with some gouache paintings from my recent trip to Italy.  Some are finished works in themselves, others will be studies for new work in the studio.  Enjoy!  

Paper, Explained

"Peonies in Bud Vase"

12 x 8, Oil on Paper

(c) Lesley Powell 2022

 

In response to my latest newsletter, I have had lots of questions about how to frame or display works on paper.  There are more options than you might think.  Mounting, matting, glass, no glass....read on!

"Peonies, Back to Back"

9 x 6.5, Oil on Paper

(c) Lesley Powell 2022

First, about the paper.  There are several brands of paper that are specially milled and treated to accept oil paints.  The artist doesn't need to do anything extra to prepare these--they arrive ready to work on.  Another option is to prepare your own paper support.  I often use BFK Rives print-making paper.  I prepare it with two coats of shellac, which keeps the oil from permeating the paper.  It makes a wonderful, smooth surface.  You can do the same thing with sturdy multi-media paper, or watercolor paper.

Now, to the finished painting.  One option is to mat it.  I leave a nice margin around the painting, so a mat can go on without covering any of the subject.  You can cut the mat to a standard size, which enables you to buy a ready-made frame for it (thus saving money!). 

Do you need to put glass over the matted painting?  No.  I can be framed sans glass. But you can use glass if you want to.  Just be sure that the glass is not actually touching the painting.  A mat is typically thick enough to keep the glass spaced off the painting.  The image just above is a painting on paper by Erin Gafill that I bought and matted, then framed under glass.

 

Another option is to mount the painting on panel. The panel is first primed with an acrylic primer to prevent discoloration. I often mount paper on a flat panel (as immediately above), which allows for a number of frame options.  I have recently mounted the paper on a cradled panel (shown below), so that it can be put in a floater frame.  This makes for a really nice look.

Bottom line:  Don't be afraid of paper!  And feel free to contact me with any questions--I'll try to find the answers!

Making my Own

 

For all you painters and art collectors, I want to share this information on how I make many of my own painting surfaces.  I love to paint on Belgian linen, and I often paint in non-standard sizes.  As a result, it is an important factor in my work to have custom supports.  Here's how I do it:

Photo #2

I often paint the painting on "loose" linen, just clipped to a board.  If the painting doesn't work out, I can wipe it down and start over.  If the painting DOES work out, I then mount it on a wood or MDF support.  (Incidentally, these woods are getting harder and harder to find in the post-COVID world).  The top photo shows a finished painting on loose linen, and the panel my husband custom cut for it.  (Not shown:  I treat the board with a coat of primer such as GAC 100 before mounting).  

Photo #3

Next I loosely place the painting on the panel, and move it around until it is centered.  That is the trickiest part of the entire process. Once I'm happy with the placement, I mark the back of the linen to show that placement (Photo #2).  Next I get out my trusty acid-free, archival adhesive.  Usually I use YES paste (Photo #3).

Photo #4

I spread the YES Paste thinly on the panel and also on the back of the linen, using a flexible palette knife (photo #4).  It's a lot like icing a cake.  When that is done, I press the painting down onto the panel and smooth it out with my hands.  Then I press it again using a rubber brayer, working from the center out to the edges, to make sure that any air bubbles are gone and that the linen is securely and evenly attached to the panel (Photo #5).

Photo #5

Finally, if I have been smart enough to leave a good margin of linen (like I did for this example), I wrap the linen around the panel (Photo #6).  Wrapping it around gives a wonderful finished edge to the painting, and allows the painting be to displayed unframed and still look very "finished".  It also allows the painting to be "floated" in a frame, without exposing any raw edges.  

Photo #6

One last step not pictured here: I put the painting face down under a pile of heavy books overnight, to allow the paste to dry and the seal to bond.  And the next morning, Voilà!  An uber-custom painting, ready for its close up!  It's a pretty involved process, but the result is well worth it to me.  Enjoy!

 

Kick Start, Part II

"Neighbors at Les Bassacs"

Oil on Paper

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

My last post talked about the way that using new materials can kick start your creative process, or even open the door to a new way of working.  I promised to explore that notion in more depth.  So--this time I'm writing about oil painting on paper.  Yes, plain ole PAPER. 

 

"Bonnieux View"    

6 x 6, Oil on Paper

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

You can buy special papers that are pre-treated for oil painting.  These papers don't require any preparation--you just start painting. Eliminating the preparation time is a huge advantage, but I have found drawbacks to these papers.  One of the popular brands is so absorbent that it practically sucks the paint off your brush and absorbs it deep into the paper.  That's great when you are in a "lay it and leave it" mode, but not so great when you want to move paint around on the surface.  Another brand is pressed to have lines that mimic the weave of canvas.  Sometimes that's nice, but then again why not just use canvas if that's what you're after?

"Blueberries I"

6 x 6, Oil on ArtBoard

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

My latest exploration is painting on heavy drawing or print-making paper.  Or even watercolor paper.  I have learned in my research that if you give these surfaces two thin coats of shellac, they are archival for oil paint.  The shellac creates a barrier that keeps the oil "sitting on top" of the paper.  The surface is very smooth, but not TOO smooth.  And if you paint a picture that is a keeper, you can mount it on board or another stiff surface, and (if done properly) the painting can be treated like any other oil painting.

I have really enjoyed working with this new surface.  I love the way it accepts the paint.  And the way you can scratch back into it to make expressive marks (like you see on the blueberry stems above).  Plus there is a freedom in painting on paper--since paper is less expensive than the linen I usually use, there is not so much at stake.  You can let go and experiment without wasting a lot of resources.  

Another advantage if you know how to paint on paper is that you can shift gears in mid-process, and undertake a "change of state".  That happens when a picture that begins as a drawing  starts to feel more like it should be a painting.  Putting a coat of shellac over the drawing allows you to take it to another state, and become an oil painting.  Check out the photo immediately above for one of my drawings midway in this process. (I used an amber shellac on this one, but I usually use a clear one). I'm illustrating this post with other recent works on paper--enjoy! 

Kick Start

"Stairs and Shadow"

Charcoal on Paper

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

This is the week that, but for COVID, I would have been in a painting class in Provence with Maggie Siner.  It's been an annual tradition for me most years over the past decade, and I've come to rely on it as a re-boot and source of inspiration for ongoing work.  This year I am having to reach deep within to find my own kick start.

"Stairs and Shadow"

Marker on Paper

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

Merriam Webster defines the term "kick start" as a way "to give new energy to [something]".  New energy is definitely a prerequisite to a satisfying painting practice.  A serious painter is always seeking new challenges, new ways of seeing, and new ways of creating.  That may involve using new materials, or using old materials in new ways.  

"Farm Buildings"

Charcoal on Paper

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

As for me, I have been working with some new materials.  For one thing, I have been exploring the world of drawing more deeply than in the past.  I have drawn with charcoal, with marker, with pencil, with conté.  Each of these has a different touch, and makes a different mark.  And I have drawn on different surfaces, ranging from "laid" paper (which has a ridged surface) to smooth art paper to plain ole newsprint. The variation is enough to keep me alert and to keep me from falling into a rut.

"My Studio"

Charcoal on Paper

(c) Lesley Powell 2021

Previously I tended to think of drawing as merely a preparatory step for painting.  Now I am trying to think of drawing as an end unto itself.  It's actually quite satisfying, and I find that I can explore new ideas more quickly than in paint.  I'm illustrating this post with a few of my drawing efforts.  Stay tuned for upcoming posts on other new materials being deployed in the studio...

Choice Overload

I recently heard a talk on the subject of "Choice Overload".    Choice overload is a cognitive situation in which people have a difficult time making decisions when they are confronted with lot of different options. The more options they are given, the harder it becomes to choose among them. It can happen when ordering from a menu at a restaurant, or in the wine aisle at the grocery store. I can certainly relate to this phenomenon from personal experience!

I was reflecting on choice overload when it suddenly struck me--one reason that I love using a limited palette is that it helps me avoid choice overload. I put only seven colors on my palette: cadmium yellow medium, cadmium red light, alizarin crimson, cerulean blue hue, ultramarine blue, burnt sienna and raw umber. And white, of course. From these colors, I can mix any other color I need.

When I go to mix a color that is somewhere in the yellow range, I don't have to stop and wonder which yellow to start with. [FYI to you non-painters, there are many, many yellows,  and some painters put multiple yellows on their palette, including Naples yellow, Cadmium lemon, Cadmium yellow light, Hansa yellow (light, medium and deep), etc. You get the idea.]. With only one yellow on my palette, I reach for it automatically, and get to mixing. No choice overload!

Unfortunately, a painter can't avoid choice overload altogether. The real panoply of choices arrives when you start trying to identify what you are seeing. Among the vast visual information that makes up the landscape, where is the darkest dark? the lightest light? the most intense color? Is that red awning leaning toward the blue, or the yellow?

And there are even more choices to be made when mixing colors from the paints that come out of the tubes. For me, there is no fixed formula. Instead, there are many different ways to arrive at the same color. Hmmmm: perhaps a subject for a future post...

From Pollution to Paint

Faithful readers know that I am a huge fan of Gamblin's gray-toned paint called "Torrit Grey". It is manufactured with the pigments gathered from the factory's air filtration system when it is cleaned every year. Such a great recycling of tiny waste particles of all types of pigments! I've written more about it here. 

Now Gamblin has gone a step beyond. They have just released a trio of paint colors called "Reclaimed Earth".  The Gamblin team has gathered water that has been contaminated by toxic sludge, put the water into large vats, distilled out its pigments, and made those pigments into fine artists' paints. Not only does this yield some beautiful earth colored pigments, it purifies the water so that it can be returned to the rivers from whence it came. It may be an over-used term, but if this isn't a win-win, I don't know what is.

This effort has involved artists, engineers, environmentalists and students from Ohio University. It caps a decades long effort to find a sustainable solution to the toxic sludge that seeps from abandoned coal mines along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.  Initial funding was provided through Kickstarter, and ultimately involved the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. It's a great story, and you can read the full plot here.

I can hardly wait to get my hands on some "Brown Ochre", "Rust Red" and "Iron Violet". It will be fun to see how these colors play with others, and I love a good earth tone palette. Plus 20% of the proceeds are returned to the recycling project. And the packaging is sustainable too! I hope that these colors will be a hit with painters, and will remain in production, continuing to contribute to the clean up of our rivers.

Paris on Cartón

"Child Playing"
43.8 x 57.8 cm, Oil on Cardboard
Édouard Vuillard

For my recent trip to Paris, I packed a stash of cartón panels. What, you might ask, are cartón panels? They are the modern day equivalent of the tan cardboard that was used by some great painters of the past. I love painting on cartón! The paper panels are very lightweight, and the color is fantastic. The warm brownish hue really suits me, and saves me from the toning process that I would usually need with other forms of oil painting paper. (For fellow painters: I order them here).

"Vase of Flowers on a Mantelpiece"
Oil on Cardboard, 36.2 x 29.5 cm
Édouard Vuillard, 1900

Another benefit of using cartón when traveling is that the surface is rather absorbent, which causes the oil paint to dry more quickly. Always a big plus when you are on the move!

Cartón was an especially appropriate choice for Paris, because it speaks of a past era of Parisian paintings. Who can think of Édouard Vuillard without remembering his wonderful use of that brown cardboard? I am always intrigued by the way parts of the cardboard are left showing through in the finished painting. It unifies the painting, and I think it helps show the hand of the artist, because we see what was left un-painted.

"Woman Curling her Hair"
Oil on Cartón, 56 x 39 cm
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, 1876-1900

While in Paris, I saw a wonderful Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit, which featured a number of works on cardboard or cartón. The surface lends itself to paintings that are quasi-unfinished, or with a lot of background showing. Love these!

"Woman with Black Boa"
Oil on Cartón, 53 x 41 cm
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892

I'm concluding with one of my own paintings on cartón. One image shows the cartón margins, and the other shows what the painting would look like if matted to cover the cartón. Which approach do you prefer? I'd love to hear from you...

"View from Pont Sully"
Oil on Cartón, 10.5 x 7.5 inches
(c) Lesley Powell 2019
(SOLD)

Christmas Cometh!

Many of us are busily wrapping Christmas presents, as December 25th draws nigh. I've put my special "ribbon" (pictured above) on a few gifts this year. It's an idea that came to me last year, and it has gotten such a good reception that I kept it up this year.

My preferred painting surface is oil primed Belgian linen. I buy it in big long rolls, like the ones you see hanging in fabric stores. This means that I roll out and cut pieces of linen for each individual painting, in the dimension needed for that particular painting. I have to trim off the selvedges. But I love the way they look, with their sprocket holes and raw linen showing on the side. So I have made a point of removing them in continuous, long strips, which I use as ribbons in wrappiing Christmas presents. It's fun, different, and good for the planet!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Undertones

Undertones. Hmmm, sounds a little bit sinister, doesn't it?  But toning a canvas before starting to apply paint is anything but! In fact, for most painters, it's an essential first step in the painting process. (For the uninitiated, "toning" a canvas refers to putting a thin layer of color down on the raw white canvas, as shown in the top photo). 

There are many different reasons that painters tone their canvases. Here are a few:

Photo from Bill Guffey

(1) Some painters use a medium value, neutral, gray tone, so that when they start to apply color, they can readily compare

Gouache

"Friends in Tall Grasses"
Gouache, 5 x 7
(c) Lori Putnam

Not too many years ago, I had never heard of gouache, much less known how to paint with it, or even how to pronounce it. (Hint: rhymes with "squash"). But lately I have been experimenting with gouache--a new medium for me.

Gouache on Illustration Board
(c) Mike Hernandez

What is gouache, exactly? It is a water-based pigment, in the family of watercolors. In fact, the work "gouache" comes from the Italian word "guazzo", which means "water color". But unlike traditional watercolor paints, which are transparent, gouache is opaque.  That means that you can layer it, and paint over it to make corrections. In my book, that makes gouache more forgiving than watercolor, and more like the oil paints I love to work with.

"The Scarlet Sunset"
Gouache and Watercolor on Paper
J. M. W. Turner, c. 1830-1840

So why have I decided to try this new medium? As faithful readers know, I love to travel, and I hope that gouache will be easy to take on the road. Since it cleans up with water, there's no need to deal with turpentine or other solvents. Nor do you need to use a medium with the gouache paint--it can be thinned. And you can paint with it on watercolor paper, which is far more lightweight and easier to carry than canvas. In addition, gouache dries in a matter of minutes, not days. All of these are big marks in the plus column for travelers!

Gouache travel kit

Sometimes when I travel, painting is the primary part of the agenda. In that case, I invest the time and suitcase space to carry all the gear involved in oil painting. Other times, a trip may be more of a vacation. That's when I'm hoping that the gouache will come in handy.  Perhaps it will allow me to do a quick study, or even a finished painting, without the hassles of the oil painting accoutrements. We shall see. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying working with the gouache because of its fluidity and its soft matte finish. 

Gouache on Illustration Board
(c) Mike Hernandez

I'm illustrating this post with images of gouache paintings by other painters--some current, and some old masters. These beautiful paintings go to show that this medium doesn't limit you at all. Can't wait to see what I can do with it. Last photo is from my own sketchbook...just practicing by revising some sketches from last summer!