Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Some painting tricks I know 1


At the workshop this last weekend a student suggested that I should write a series of short blogs that would be about "tricks" of the trade. They suggested a series to be entitled 100 painting tricks. I am not sure I know a hundred of them, but I do know a few. So I will do some  and see how it goes....


I tube my own paint which I get from RGH ( link in my sidebar)  mostly by the quart. For years I have been carefully labeling the tubes. But they always get so painted up in my box that I can't read them anyway. So I don't even bother anymore. Now I squirt a little paint from the tube and mix it with Liquin on my palette. Then I paint a stripe about the neck of the tube using a number 4 flat. It is quick and easy. Then I stand them upright in a corner of my box for a day or two till they dry. Now I can identify  the tubes without all of that cumbersome reading.and they look really cool too.

Even if you don't tube your own paint, if you have a messy paintbox like I do, this might be useful to you. Incidentally that is the fabled pornstar pink there in the back row.


The Rockport Art Association in Rockport, Massachusetts is presenting an enormous show of over a hundred paintings by Aldro T. Hibbard which will run from October 6th until November 11th. There will be a full color catalog available too. Here is a painting by Aldro, one of my heroes.


 Hibbard has been long neglected by the museums and art establishment, this is the only show in many years of his work.There are few opportunities to see his art, and the best of Hibbards work will be there.. If you have never seen his paintings other than in reproduction you will be amazed.  My teacher, R.H. Ives Gammell counted him among the ten greatest American landscape painters and I agree.

11 comments:

armandcabrera said...

Stapleton,

Great advice. I might have to come there for the Hibbard show and pick up a catalog...
Is it me or those damn words you have to type in to post getting harder to read?

Sergio Lopez said...

Do you put all of the paint in tubes once you get the batch from RGH? The reason I ask is because I buy from RGH on occasion now (thanks for the recommendation) but I don't go through it quick enough for it to last me the whole jar. Most of the time it ends up drying out on me before I get to the end of the jar. Recommendation on where to get tubes would be great too.

Making A Mark said...

I was just thinking the same thing - plus how about a bit about how you get paint from jar to tube......?

Nita Leger Casey said...

Can't wait to see the Hibbard show,nice to see you back here.

mariandioguardi.com said...

Marian the Contrarian...hey that rhymes! My trick is to not tube paint. ..I buy it in the tube. Hi Stapleton.

Robert J. Simone said...

I saw my first Hibbards a couple of years ago in Boston, when you took me to the Vose Gallery. The paintings seemed to posses a quiet dignity that really can't be expressed in words. It struck me that Hibbard knew exactly where he was going from the very first brushstroke, before that even.

Stapleton Kearns said...

Sergio, Yes I tube it all immediately. If you don't it will dry in the can as you use it.Hey! I know your work, I am flattered to see you here. You are a fine painter.
Katherine: I reposted the old blog post explaining how to get it into the tubes. It is just below the last post.
.............Stape

Sergio Lopez said...

Thanks Stape! I've been a fan of your blog for a while, so much good info! I will check out the old blog post again.

Jesse Hamm said...

Thanks for the heads-up re. Hibbard! I can't make the show, but I'm glad to see the catalog (and Gruppe On Painting) will be available through their site:

http://www.rockportartassn.org/gift_shop.htm

Making A Mark said...

Many thanks Stape - I'll also reference that blog post in my weekly round up on Sunday.

Ellie Boyd ellieboydstudio.com said...

Aldro painted one of the most beautiful nudes I've ever seen in the Whistler Museum in Lowell, MA. It was in storage and the museum director insisted on hauling it out for me to see, being a figure painter. It was overwhelmingly beautiful--such a huge contrast from his landscapes.