It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything, as I’ve been catching up on some things that were neglected during the lead-up to our Among Sleeping Giants #art show, which was such a fantastic turnout.
It probably sounds self-defeating, but I’m really glad my ‘Arrowz’ #painting didn’t sell. After touching up some details with a week to go until showtime, I applied an as-thin-as-possible layer of Ivory Black over all my stray paint marks around the border. Now, up until that point, my intent was to finish it with some retouching #varnish, which would not only protect the painting for the one night exhibition, but it would allow the paint to finish curing in the meantime. Unfortunately, I discovered too late that Ivory Black oil paint is ULTRA GODDAMN SLOW TO DRY; to the touch, anyway.
So, thanks to my terrible choices in paint and time management, and despite my best efforts to hasten the drying time after realizing my mistake, the surface layer was still smudging the day before hanging 😖
I had to have it protected for the show the following day, so I applied the retouching varnish anyway. The damn stuff picked up the still-wet black #pigment, and spread it over the surface of the image. I cleaned it up and let it “dry” overnight, but the surface still had a slight tack to it the day of the show. I hung the damn thing after all, and it was a hit🤘🏽
The week following the show, I removed the varnish and wet layer of black with Gamsol and it’s been drying since. Now, I can work on it in a more controlled manner, letting it cure properly for 6 months before I seal it with some #dammarvarnish.
tl;dr: I learned things.
#artistmistakes #artistproblems
#paint #oilpaint #ivoryblack #fineart #contemporaryart #skateboardart #willwootenart