Fur In The Paint

Well here it is finally. I plan to tweak it just a bit. I’ll probably fluff out the edging fur to look a little softer. I’m not sure how I am going to frame it, or if I even am. I am not all that thrilled with this one. I may just stick it in a box for the time being. Once again in order to cut down on scan time I did it in one scan, instead of two, (which would have shown the deckling and made it look so much prettier.)

I am pondering what to do next. Connie sent a fresh box of handmade paper (to replace the stuff that was too soft.) So the possibilitites are endless. I am thinking lillypads of somesort, maybe with a koi? I may also try my lambs again. The nice thing about these little paintings are, I can just do something on a whim.

So in an effort to better manage my time, I began yet another painting on handmade paper. This really helps me to not force my bear painting along. I can take the time I need to make decisions, without feeling guilty about not painting. I think once I actually begin putting in color on the bear, I will work exclusively on it.

This White Wolf is on an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of handmade paper. It does have deckling, but in an effort to get it in one scan, (instead of two) we lost the deckled edges.

The paper is quite soft, so my usual practice of drawing and erasing really can’t happen. To work around this, I could project the image. OR I could draw it out on something else, like tracing paper. Place the final drawing over the handmade paper and redraw the lines. This forms a barely visible indentation on the handmade paper. Carbon paper would also work, but the lines would be quite harsh and may not get completely covered by the oil pastel. (Besides, finding carbon paper these days, is like looking for something out of the stone age.)

Archivability on handmade Paper
Oils can cause degradation of paper, so it is always wise to research your art materials when working with oil pastels. Since I have started working with handmade paper, archivability is a concern. Thus I began looking in earnest for more information and started experimenting.

I tried a few different gessos and found the oil pastel didn’t adhere as well, as I am used to. I had almost given up hope of working with the handmade paper, until I looked at the various oil pastel brands. Most resources said that there is no need for a gesso or primer to be applied, if the oil pastels were made using inert oils (like mineral oil). Holbein and Sennelier are made with inert oils. I couldn’t find any information regarding my other main brand Caran D’Ache. Perhaps I will contact the manufacturer. If I do so I will post about what I learn.

How to make paper
I asked Connie to explain the process of making paper. She did such an excellent informative description of the process, I thought I would post it tomorrow.

Well, it has been a chaotic ten days or so. Budda has been sick. We’ve had multiple vet trips (the last one we traveled an hour away to get some blood work done.) He quit eating. Not entirely, but only a handful of pieces of cat food per day. He normally consumes about 2 cups. I even offered canned stuffs, not cheapo ones either. He got Fancy Feast chicken and cheese soufflé. Let me tell ya, I think had I nuked it and put it on a plate, Mike would have eaten it. Anyway, I have never had an animal with this sort of problem. After much $$$ turns out he is healthy. Or should I say, disease or organ problems were not the cause. Best professional guess is, he was partially impacted in the gut. As long as he ate something, it was a wait and see. Had he stopped eating entirely, it probably would have meant surgery. The good news is, he is back to being ravenous and is bouncing off the walls. (literally)

The other thing is, I have a patron coming on Saturday to pick up one (maybe two) original paintings. I’m not sure how far it is from Ohio to Iowa, but I figured I should at least clean the cat hair off from everything. Thus my blogging and art making has suffered a bit this week. I’ve got plans, though I imagine it will be a few days before I am back to doing anything artsy.

So for today, this is all I have to offer. I am not completely satisfied with my trailer, as of yet. I kinda wanted it to be very subtle and it is a little too prominent for my taste. (though in this photo it is very washed out. I think my camera flashed and I didn’t notice.) Also, I want to darken his butt and neck area up a bit. Give him even more pop. And lastly, I haven’t come up with a name for him yet. Field Day perhaps? I’ve done too many draft horse paintings to be creative with their titles anymore. As always any comments or suggestions are welcome.

I think artists on the whole are an optimistic breed. I mean it is the belief than we can do something greater than all that has come before, that keeps us creating. Something better, more complex, more visually inspiring, more creatively challenging, and on the whole, more brilliant than ever before. Oddly enough, the time I find it most difficult to create, is not after a failure. But after I do a really nice piece. Something that when I look at it, I think “Damn, that really is pretty good. How am I gonna top that?” What’s the answer? Optimism. Of course I will do something better next time. (if not then, perhaps the time after that.)

Making Waves - Oil Pastel 18 x 29
Copyright by Mona Majorowicz

Occasionally, it is all about the timing
Making Waves is a painting that was a long time coming. From start to completion, 1 1/2 years elapsed. This was the first painting that I ever went back to finish, after I gave up on it. Generally, I either complete the painting when I start it, or I toss it. I don’t usually hold onto failed paintings. Personally, I think it is hard to move forward, when you are surrounded by unfinished or failed works. I didn’t consider this tiger painting a failure as such. I just couldn’t quite make it work.

I started it as a smaller piece, and even as I worked it, I knew it was too small to get the effect I wanted. So I redrew it larger and began again. That in itself is a rarity. Even after the new beginning, I struggled with it. I was still early in practice with the oil pastels and I think it was too ambitious a painting, for where I was technically at the time. After much effort, I gave up.

My painting time is limited. So I don’t spend loads of time trying to resurrect a failing piece. I need to move on and keep creating. So I put the tiger aside. (Actually, I put it in the back room, on it’s side, in the dark . . . to be exact.) I couldn’t quite bring myself to toss it. I liked my concept. I liked my composition. I liked that it was something besides a horse, (which it seems I paint more and more of these days.) But I lacked the confidence and skill to bring it to my vision. To get it out of my head and onto the board, the way it should be.

Jump a year and some odd months in the future
I had just finished working on a small detailed piece and I desperately wanted to work on something larger, with expansive strokes. So I pulled out my tiger. I thought “It doesn’t matter if I ruin him, he is pretty much garbage anyway.” I reworked him completely. I still struggled with the water. Primarily because my zoo reference photos didn’t provide an accurate representation of water movement. I played with water motion in the bath tub for several nights, and eventually completed the painting to my satisfaction.

Note: To my satisfaction, means he is good enough to keep, frame and sell. It doesn’t mean that I think that he’s perfect. In fact, whenever I look at any completed painting, for a long time afterward, I see things that I “should” have done. Darken here, brighten there. But learning when to let go, is a complex enough subject, that it deserves its own post.

Moral of the story.
Sometimes it is best to toss out a painting that you are agonizing over. But on rare occasion, you might be able to “save” it. In my case I had to wait until my skill level matched my vision. The trick is learning when to do one or the other. And remember a failed painting does not equate with failing as an artist. I learn far more from my mistakes and challenges, than I do from easy success.

Prints are available of Making Waves. Just click on the image or the title below the image to get more information.

The Matriarch - Oil Pastel 27 x 22
Copyright by Mona Majorowcz

I have been telling people for some time now, that my first oil pastel painting was The Matriarch. I bought myself a set of oil pastels because they looked like fun. And I just created her. As far as I could remember, I had never really played with oil pastels. And being self taught, a huge part of the thrill for me, is just figuring them out. I’ve never been much for reading books on technique. I probably would be much farther along, if I were. However, I believe this living on the edge attitude has really helped me to develop my own style of working, in whatever rather obscure medium I play with.

Anyway, so when I got my set, I cracked them open and just began. I had this elephant in mind from the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. I drew out a very quick outline and just did it. I didn’t over think it, I just let the spirit move me. When I got her done I thought, “Wow that was fun! What else can I paint with these.”

Seeds of Greatness
Recently, my mom gave me a scrapbook containing my early artistic endeavors. And when I was six, low and behold, an oil pastel (Umm,. . . not sure that I can really call it a painting. So lets call it a . . .) picture of parrots. Lorikeets if I’m not mistaken. Now that I see it, I have vague memories of actually drawing it and thinking “Wow, that was fun! What else can I paint with these!”

And so the circle of life is complete.

Using Spacers To Create Depth.
Below are the links to review my first two posts on creating the air space needed to prevent oil pastel transfer, when framing.

How To Frame Oil Pastel Part 1

How To Frame Oil Pastel Part 2

In this last segment on framing oil pastels, I will discuss creating the depth we need using spacers. The example I am using here, is an oil pastel buffalo done on handmade paper. I wanted to accentuate the deckled edges, so I floated the painting.

Shadowbox
A shadowbox is created by using spacers to hold the glass off the artwork. Choose a frame with some depth to it. How deep, will depend on what you are framing, or the look you want to achieve. My frame is 1 1/4″ deep.

First cut the glass and lay in frame. The tighter the glass fit the better. I then line the edges of the frame first with a strip of acid free foamcore. Then, I apply a 3/4″ strip of my matboard. (In this case, Rust Suede) By lining all four sides, the glass is held in place.

In this photo the frame is lying face down on the counter. Note: that sufficient space has been left for the artwork and backing materials to fit into the frame.

Floating
As I said, I chose to float this piece because of the deckled edges. Though it is hard to tell from this photo, the artwork is actually mounted onto a 3/16″ acid free foamcore board, which is itself, mounted onto the suede backboard. This will create more shadow, thus adding a little more visual interest.

I mounted the painting by hinging it with acid free artists tape. Generally, I try to avoid tapes whenever possible. But with the floating technique, some sort of adhesive will have to be applied.

That’s it. Pop it together and your done.

Plastic Spacers
Lets say you don’t want any matboard, or just a single mat. (Note: A single mat will not provide enough air space to prevent transfer.) But you don’t want to shadowbox either, or you just want to use a more shallow frame. Well thats where these guys come in.

These spacers come black or clear, and in a variety of sizes and depths. Several companies make them with subtle variations. I like these, because they are quick and easy, and have a peel away, sticky side for mounting. Oh, and they are archival as well. They perform the same function, and are applied in the same manner, as the lining spacers mentioned above.

Note: I had no intention of framing this small buffalo painting, done last year. But I have been selling quite a few originals lately (which is of course the goal.) Since most of the artfairs I do, are quality events, they require a substantial assortment of original work and most even make me point out the new work. So I pulled him out. I must say, now that I have him done, I quite like him. It’s amazing how a nice frame can add so much.

From Concept to Creation
This oil pastel, is as of yet, un-named. I am considering a couple of things, but nothing is firm. The size is currently 16×23.

I don’t think I realized just how much my artwork was influenced by compositional elements, until I started my artist journal, followed by the magazine articles and now the blog. I have always been sort of a visceral artist. I never really devoted great deals of thought, about how and why I do what I do. But since I have been keeping a constant written commentary about my artwork and how it’s created, I have really learned a lot about myself and my work.

Composition
It is the simple looking portraits that rely heavily on composition to make them interesting. It becomes about form and line, pattern and negative space.

The real desire for doing this painting was (as always) the horse. I love him. He is part of a matched team of Percherons that I had seen at two different events last summer. This guy in particular is stunning. I followed him around like a groupie, madly snapping pictures. His expressive eye and head shape are simply gorgeous. The reference photos below, are from both events. These are my main photo references for this painting. But I have around 20 others on my drafting table to look at for various reasons. Including another team that I photographed 15 some odd years ago, at a pull in South Dakota.

I could say putting him in front of a steel trailer, was totally a commentary on the draft horse’s usefulness in todays society, as most drafts aren’t really workers anymore. But in truth, I liked the compositional elements of the geometric shapes, set against his soft curves. I chose a roached mane (shaved close to the neck) because it strengthened the vision of that iconic working horse. And I will put him against the steel trailer (actually, it is probably aluminum) because of the symbolism it represents.

Subtle Differences
I spent around 20 hours draw time on him. This would seem to me a good argument for projecting. That being said, I made several small changes that I would not have been able to do, unless I had the ability to draw what I see. So please, learn to draw first, then project when necessary.

Most of the draw time was spent on the harness, which always takes a huge amount of time to get right. Also, I changed my mind in-process and had to re-draw the collar area. At first, my drawing didn’t have the reins draped over the hames of the collar. I thought it made the image too complex. But once I decided to removed the bridle and to roach the mane, suddenly it needed them there to add interest. I also changed the harness from a modern BioThane to a leather. I just love a horse that looks like it works for a living.

Quick Tip
I cannot draw a horse facing left, from a photo of a horse facing right. A person who is more photoshop loving than I, could just scan it in, flip the image, print it out and tah da! But being more lazy than that, I just held the photo face up to my table light, and drew from the ghost image on the back. All I really needed was the basic shapes. I have used my lamps to reverse the image many times. Extremely quick and quite effective.

In Part 2, we will explore getting the air space depth we need to prevent oil pastel transfer, from the painting to the glass, by using a wooden framing liner. This is my favored way to frame oil pastels. I like the simplicity, and it gives them the look of a oil painting. Also by framing in this way, it keeps my larger size paintings, from getting even larger (and heavier) because of the additional size and weight of the matting.

Add A Barrier To The Liner

I always line the liner. (Hmmm, I wonder if there was a better way to say that?) I generally use a 4 ply rag barrier board, or occasionally 2 ply. This prevents the artwork from coming into contact, and being damaged by, the wood of the liner.

In this photo, the liner is face down on the counter to show how it gets lined. I attach the barrier board with 1/4″ ATG, which is essentially a double sided framing tape. A glue would also work, just be sure to allow for proper dry time.

Glazing Placement

The glass is cut to the frame size. It sits between the frame and the liner, well above the artwork. Finish with a barrier board behind the painting and fill with an acid free foamcore board. Then, back off the framing as usual. See How To Frame Oil Pastels - Part 1.

Finished Framing

A simple classic look. I apologize for the lousy photo. I took it late in the day, when there was tons of glare coming through my front room windows. But you get the idea.

Part 3 will be sometime late next week. (hopefully) I am waiting on my matting for the demo piece to come in.

Since oil pastel paintings don’t really ever dry, they need some accomodations when it comes to framing. Namely, a deeper air space between the glass and the painting to prevent the transfer of the pastel. I do this primarily in 3 different ways.

1. Using matting
2. Using a wooden liner
3. Floating with a shadowbox

I will cover each way in its own post. Today we’ll start with creating depth using matting.

Creating Depth With Matting

Multiple Mats
Since I tend to work oil pastels by laying in thick coloring, I may use a minimum of a three mats, but most often I go with four. The multiple mats stacked up create the depth needed. This is pretty straight forward, so I won’t elaborate on it. However if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask me.

Spacing Mats Apart
I achieve the depth I need by putting an (acid free) AF spacer in between the matting. This is not one of my paintings, nor is it an oil pastel. I am using the same technique for it, that I would for an oil pastel painting, because it adds a certain drama and interest when framing other items as well.

Note: This watercolor of a poppy was painted by a friend of mine, Arjes Youngblade. She has graciously allowed me to use her painting in this blog demonstration. Thank you Arjes.

Here is the artwork with bottom mat only, which was cut at 4 3/8 inches.

Here the AF foamcore spacer has been laid in place. It was cut at 3 inches. It needs to be well undercut from the topmost mat, so as not to be visible from any angle. In this instance, the spacer was cut 3/4″ less than the top mat.

Here the top most mat has been added. It was cut at 3 3/4 inches.

And now the frame and the glazing (glass) have been added. Because this project is an original watercolor, I am using Conservation Clear. (If you remember from my post on glazings, only clear glass should be used with anything that has depth to it.)

This is the back of the framing. A dust cover (brown kraft paper) is applied to help seal it from bugs and dust. The wire is set at 1/3 the distance down the frame. Bumpons are applied (the clear little knobbies on the bottom corners. They help to keep it hanging straight on the wall, as well as protect the wall from frame rub marks.) And lastly, a Conservation Clear label is applied to the back to explain the care of the glass.

Here is a cross section view of the layers, In this instance I used a black foamcore spacer to help differentiate it from the surrounding boards.

The layers from the top down are:
glazing (conservation clear)
top mat (C1607 Brite White)
AF foam core spacer
bottom mat (1607 Brite White)
barrier board (2 ply 100% cotton rag board)
AF foamcore backing board

Earth Movers - Oil Pastel 12 x 22
Copyright by Mona Majorowicz

Letting My Inner Colorist Out To Play
So here is the completed painting of
The Earthmovers.

I think there may be a colorist deep inside me trying to get out. Many of my paintings start out with all sorts of color and then I start toning them down until I finish with something that looks quite realistic with just hints of brightness. Mike rolls his eyes every time, when I look at a near completed painting and declare, “It looks too purple.” Apparently there is something going on unconsciously and then I have to pull it back into reality.

I think a part of it may have to do with the fact that I make my living selling my artwork. And the artwork produced thus far leans to a more realistic coloration. Occasionally I go ahead and do something rather bright. I had a lovely black faced sheep which was done in purple. The surprise was that it was apparently talked about in the community and it actually brought in a few locals to see the “Purple Sheep.”

Anywho, this painting started out as being quite realistic in coloring and then I was getting bored. (Yawn) So I thought what the heck, I doubt I will be happy with it as is, lets bump up the color. And here is the result. The sad thing is you can’t actually see the color that I am talking about in this scan of it. But trust me, it is just crammed with purples, periwinkles and gingers. (I just love that color combination.)