The Age of Rage
 

Now for the second post. This was done from life so I have no reference photo. My son grudgingly sat for this painting (as I

That was the wrong one, here is the full painting. Sorry, I'll figure this out eventually.

Wow. A much more personal, interesting and arresting portrait of your son than the previous posting. The difference between controlling and manipulating the painting instead of the other way around. I think you have a very dynamic painting going here. The biggest problem is the transition between the lit surface and the shadow on the face. He isn't rounding out. The side of his face moving from his nose to the side of his head has a nice diminutional feeling, but on the other side, going toward the shadow, it is initially too light, than jumps to a mid value, the red. Go back to the rounding out stage. Re wet the shadow on the side of his face, and work the terminator edge. The (our) right side of his face will be a value between the red of his cheek, and the lighter area next to his nose. and it will be a light value (massing), but not as light as the skin on the other side of his face. The area next to his nose and his cheek also are a little too light, and need to transition to the shadow, to round out.

There are very small additional things I could say, but if you can work out that shadow to light transition, you could have a competition piece.

Peggy

A fly in the ointment
 

Gina, I am not adding anything to Peg's comment. I am making some technical obsevations.

This is a quote from Ralph Mayer's book, The Artists' Handbook of Materials and Techniques:

"Size is considered an absolute necessity; oil paint should never come in direct contact with the the fiber or the canvas will "rot", that is, eventually become weak, brittle and crumbly."

Ralph Mayer's book is a well respected text among serious artists who are conscientious craftstmen.

If you want a canvas tonality, thinly glaze with Galkyd or Liquin, in your color choice. Let it dry, and you have a warm color surface that can be sucessfully overpainted.

I would also check the aformentioned text on the problems of applying canvas to a panel.

Sincerely,

Another fly in the ointment
 

Gina, I just went back to my Ralph Mayer Book. I can see no reason to glue your canvas to a panel. You have many materials all with different chemical, drying, and flexibility characteristics, layered on an inflexible substrate. It is a recipe for disaster.

My husband is a materials scientist with a PHD. from Brown University. He thinks, archivally, that this is not a good idea.

Sincerely,

Peggy,

Thank you for your helpful information and for taking the time to critique. I hope to be able to work on the painting this week sometime, and I will post the update. The photo (I finally bought a camera) has been helpful to me as it made the value and transition areas more prevalent. I so appreciate and value your compliment on the painting.

You are so right about the difference between manipulating and controlling the paint in the two paintings. I couldn't put my finger on the difference. My stress level was way up while working on the plaid shirt and several other parts of My Favorite Human, but I learned so much and I am glad I had the struggle. That's why I like oil paint, it's the first medium that constantly challenges me and it keeps me from getting bored.

Sharon, thank you also for your reply and your concern. I learned about the PVA size from Gamblin's website, and I called them to ask about painting directly on the linen before I ever tried it. I was told that Robert Gamblin has developed this product for himself personally and that this is the surface that he also uses.

PVA (neutral PH Poly Vinyl Acetate) size is not the same as the old size that Mayer would be talking about. I was told that there is no problem whatsoever with painting on the linen as I have done. Here is the page on PVA from the Gamblin website: http://www.gamblincolors.com/materials/sag.html. Quoting from the back of the bottle that I have: "PVA size will not tighten the canvas like rabbit skin glue does. If you prefer the color of the raw canvas, paint directly on the size without using a ground."

I am trusting that Gamblin knows what he is talking about.

Gina

PVA size
 

Gina, that's a new one on me. Thanks for the info.

Gamblin does indeed know what is talking about. I like his Galkyd better than Liquin and his Gamvar varnish is the best I have ever used.

Sincerely,