Well hello again, it's been since August that I last blogged about art and I'm starting my winter vacation. I'm also preparing to do a little painting. So I went out to my storage room this morning and pulled out my painting box. I almost started to prepare my pallet but my paint tubes were like bricks because of the cold. So what does one do when one's paints are harder than bricks and cold?
Just move your supplies into a warm room, wait a couple hours and the paints will feel as soft as they were when you bought them. Watch out trying to speed-up the warming process. Remember most of the thinners and oil-based mediums that we use with oil paints are flammable. So no need to place them up against the heater or fireplace.
If you're working with a wooden or plastic pallet that's nice and cold, it's the perfect time to chisel-off some of the layers of old paint. Just take a stiff wire brush or even a screw driver and pluck those little mounds of paint right off.
Looking forward to a little winter painting!
Above: Painting with Rob Shaw from Havens Framemakers a few months back.
One of the first times I went to the beach in January and tried to paint outside I learned the hard way that painting Plein Air in the wintertime was not going to work. I learned a few tricks, though I am not sure which one I like best – the first is to use watercolor pencils and then do the painting back in the room – the second is to paint Plein North Myrtle Beach hotels – the view might not be as good as outside, but the sunrise if just as powerful looking at it through the balcony door – and a lot warmer!
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