Skoogsbrand

(May 2009. Oil on wood)

It took two and a half years before I made my second attempt at oil painting, and while I was better prepared this time in terms of tools and oils, I followed much the same recipe as the Moon Man (Oil on plywood).

SkoogsBrand

A technique I used for this painting (mostly evident in the bottom half), and which I’ve come to use a lot, is rough mixing of colors directly on the canvas (or board in this case).

I place daps of the colours I wish to blend in dark and bright areas, and then use the #2 knife (almost square) which I press into the oil working from dark to light or light to dark depending on the tone I wish to achieve.

Because I press the knife into the oil rather than smearing it around, I end up with a rough and very lively texture, with both small areas of smooth gradients and areas of great contrast.