Materials & Techniques
Materials
Oils are my medium of choice because they are time-tested and honored. The oil paintings of the Great Masters are still as fresh and vibrant today as they were the day they were completed. Colors are still rich and luminous.
Canvas is also selected for performance and permanence possible. In a day when synthetic and synthetic blend canvases have been joined by other types of painting supports, selecting the best support can be confusing. Once again, I refer to the materials used by the Old Masters of past centuries, as well as modern day masters.
My current canvas of choice is Raphael Oil Primed Belgian linen. This excellent, Italian-made canvas is an incredible canvas made only from the finest prepared linens. It is a sturdy weight, strong canvas prepared with five coats of priming beginning with traditional rabbit-skin glue and concluding with two coats of oil primer. The resulting surface is smooth, almost silky in look and feel.
Oil paints have also been chosen with all the same considerations. The paints I use have been proven through the decades as reliable, color fast and richly pigmented.
My preferred oil paint is M. Graham Oils, which are ground in walnut oil and can be used exclusively with walnut oil. Walnut oil is well-known for its resistance to yellowing with age. It's only perceived disadvantage is that it takes longer to dry than linseed oil or other vehicles. For my painting techniques, that is not a disadvantage.
Technique
Every horse portrait begins with a detailed drawing. During the drawing phase, the overall design of the portrait is determined. Design includes the size and placement of the subject; establishing light and shadow and determining background elements. The drawing is approved by the client, then transferred to canvas.
Once the drawing has been transferred to canvas, it is 'fixed' with thinned paint.
Most paintings are then fully developed in half-tones using two or three colors that will provide a complement to the final colors of the background and horse. Details are placed at this stage. Lights and darks are established and adjustments can be made if necessary. Working out the details in this manner can take up to six weeks depending the size of the horse portrait, but the time is well spent.
This under painting is allowed to dry for a minimum of two weeks after completion, then colors are glazed over the under painting. At this stage, the painting process involves applying each transparent color, waiting for it to dry completely, then applying the next color. The result is a rich, luminous painting that cannot be duplicated by any other method.
When the horse portrait is completed it is allowed to dry thoroughly before a protective varnish is added.
The portrait is then ready for framing to customer specifications and delivery.
However, some subjects require a more direct painting method. In this case, there is no under painting. Color, value and shapes are developed simultaneously. While this process may appear to be faster, it takes about the same amount of time.
The painting technique is chosen based on the subject, on painting location (in the studio or out of the studio) and on time considerations. My preferrence is the classical style of painting.
