Monday, February 19, 2018

More Spring and a Painting!



Here's a little more taste of Spring as the daffodils have gone crazy blooming!  Our temperatures have been up and down and the sun has been in and out!  The photo of the daffies was taken on a gloomy day but still hope they're a cheerful sight for those of you tired of winter!

My most recent casein painting was of a daffodil in a glass globe and is probably the biggest reason why I decided casein wasn't for me.  The paint handled much like acrylic which is the least favorite medium I've ever tried.  No matter what I did, I couldn't get the results I wanted - making the flower appear inside the globe!





This is on clayboard (which may be why I didn't like painting with the casein) and is only about 5X5 inches square.  I bought the clayboard because several people had said it was the ideal surface for casein.  I only got 3 of the small boards so it wasn't a complete waste and I'm sure I can use the rest for other media.  I think too, that other people use different painting methods and have different styles than I do which may make it work great for them. 

But, isn't that what art is all about?  Finding the medium, the support and the style that works for you, the artist?  So, maybe casein will become a favorite medium with the right support - hope so as I've invested a fair amount into paint!  Still have to finish a couple of paintings I started with casein and who knows from there!

4 comments:

Mary Klein said...

It's a beautiful painting, Jan - you've done an amazing job with a very difficult subject.

I first started out painting with casein with cold pressed watercolor board - made by Crescent. The move from that to Claybord was not easy as I had really grown accustomed to the watercolor board. But it's challenging to frame finished watercolor board paintings without glazing - and that was my aim. I'm now toning my Claybord with 6 coats of Venetian Red casein and then letting it dry for at least 2 weeks before painting on it. This has been working really well. After the finished painting has dried for 6 weeks, I then buff the painting surface. This gives it a lustrous and protective sheen which I love.

Thanks for sharing your painting - it's a winner if you ask me!

Jan said...

Thank you, Mary, not only for the more than kind comment on the painting, but for instructions on the way you prepare the claybord. I have a couple of paintings started on hardboard finished with GAC100, gesso and watercolor ground and that seems to be working ok for me. Plus,I don't have to wait nearly so long to start painting! Plain gesso is not absorbent enough but the addition of one or two coats of the watercolor ground makes it perfect for me. I think I just dislike the ultra quick drying of the paint. When I started painting with Casein, it was summer and although very hot outside, the air conditioning kept it cool inside. We have very humid summers here but I think the heat in the winter really dries out the air and that's what caused the paint to dry so quickly.

Oh, well, I'll either come to terms with Casein or I won't! In either case, thanks for your help & inspiration.

Sue Clinker said...

Well as someone who is strictly a pencil artist and doesn't work in paint of any type, I can't comment on technique or give help but I think the painting looks great and the daffodil definitely appears to be inside the globe. You should persevere with casein I think .. Suex

Jan said...

What about all the acrylic painting on rocks you did? You did a fab job on all of them. You just prefer to use CP or pastel but think you'd do well if you ever did decide to use paint.

I'll probably use the casein from time to time and definitely need to finish two paintings that I've started in it. After that, we'll see.

Thanks for your comment!