Advantages to Using Lead in Painting

Longevity

One of the fascinating things about an oil painting is that it has the potential to last centuries if created using techniques and materials which tradition (and more importantly science has confirmed) have proven to be the most durable. Note that an oil painting has that potential, but is not guaranteed. Many things can go wrong in the creation of a piece of art that would interfere with it's longevity. 

Linseed oil is not the ideal binder. If one could create an ideal binder, it would be a bit more flexible than linseed oil and less apt to crack. Of all the binders we have available to us, linseed oil is the best choice. It is what most pigments are ground with.

Longevity is important in works of art for a couple of reasons. First, if we only created art for the person buying the art (i.e. not for future generations), then longevity wouldn't matter. Second, though Van Gogh only sold one of his paintings during his lifetime, his work was ahead of its time and they now hang in museums around the world. Because he did not paint with materials which interfered with the longevity of his work, we can now experience his work. We can admire his vision of the world and see the world differently. 

After viewing his Starry Night, didn't you gaze heavenward and look upon the stars differently? After seeing his way of painting sunflowers, didn't you look at sunflowers in a new way? I know have on both accounts and feel that I'm a better person for having been changed by Van Gogh's painting and his vision. If art was only created for the buyer, then this experience and many like it would never  be possible. 

Flexible yet Tough Film

Paint films created with linseed oil do become brittle with time and may be more likely to crack with age. Linseed is not the perfect binder, but it is the best that we currently have. The pigments can affect the properties of the binder. For instance, some pigments, such as alizarin crimson are slow driers and dry much slower than other pigments. Burnt umber pigment dries very quickly. Lead white also affects properties of the paint film, but in a different way

Lead carbonate, the most common form of lead used in lead white paints today, contributes ions and creates connections within the paint film, making it stronger and more flexible. These connections not only extend to that paint film, but if the painting was created in layers, it also extends to the other surrounding layers as well. No other pigment does this to the oil binder. 

These connections created by the donation of electrons by lead creates strong and flexible bonds at the molecular level. This helps to reduce the brittleness of linseed oil and creates a more stable paint film. It is as if lead white is the yin to linseed's yang.

Made to Last Centuries

Painting with lead white will not guarantee that a piece of work will last centuries, but it certainly increases the likelihood significantly. Painting on a rigid surface, such as a panel, also helps. Avoiding problematic pigments such as alizarin crimson (which is considered fugitive or fades in 100 years or less in most cases) or zinc white (which can cause delamination). To read more about the problems with zinc white, click here. 

Using lead white is one of the many steps I take to try to create a painting with at least a reasonable chance of surviving centuries. When you acquire a piece of art, you are not just acquiring it for yourself, but also for future generations. Some people use it as an investment, while others use it to leave a legacy to a museum. Some people simply want their lives and their heir's lives to be enriched by owning a piece of fine art in their own home. What ever your reason for acquiring art, I know it is not just for you, but also for others, and that is why I take the steps I do towards creating beautiful and sound works of art. 

References

Traditional Oil Painting: Advanced Techniques and Concepts from the Renaissance to the Present, Virgil Elliott, Echo Point Books and Media, 2019.

If you enjoyed this article, consider signing up for my monthly newsletter. You will receive one or two emails per month with links to articles like this one. You will also receive updates on upcoming events, behind-the-scenes look into my paintings, and first look at my newest paintings. I almost forgot...You also receive a 15% discount on my newest paintings.

Maslow, Art, and Psychology

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

This is commonly taught in psychology 101 courses in high school and college. Abraham Maslow ranked human's needs in order of importance or order of need. He organized human needs into a triangle with the most basic of needs at the bottom (such as food, shelter, and clothing) and the ultimate goal or motivation for humans being self-actualization. Self-actualization means that the person is realizing or working towards realizing all their potentialities as humans. Maslow's theory  helps to define our motivations on a basic level, but in the simplicity, is a deeper understanding of human motivation. We are all searching, seeking for the same thing: to expand our horizons and to grow as humans to reach our full potential. Some people are still working on the basics such as clothing or food, while others are working on acceptance or confidence. The most advanced of persons are working on the final step, realizing their full potential as a human.

One might ask at this juncture, why I'm discussing a social psychology theory of human motivation on a blog about art? Or you may wonder how does art help with human growth? While it does not help with meeting basic needs such as shelter or more advanced needs such as confidence or self-esteem, it does play a part in self-actualization.

Art as a Trans-formative Influence

Art, fine art, is enlightening and inspiring to our souls. Creating and appreciating art is one of the things that separates humans from other primates and mammals. Fine art demonstrates what humans are capable of doing, creating and thus inspires the viewer on towards greater things themselves. It can be a motivating factor to our further growth as humans and individuals.

From Maslow's theory, we already have that motivation inherent in our beings, but with our hectic schedules, sometimes we learn to shut that drive off. We have kids to feed, bills to pay, friends to connect with, still need to sleep sometime, then wake up to do it all over again. This need for self-actualization sometimes gets put off to the back burner, then forgotten. Appreciating any type of fine art, whether at a concert, a play, or a museum, can re-ignite the passion for personal growth. Certainly having an original piece of art in your home, that you can see and be inspired from daily is a distinct advantage. I've found it is best to experience the art in person. The music seems alive and much sweeter when heard in person than from a recording. Being present in an auditorium, watching a live play is so much more fulfilling than watching a movie, distanced by time and space.

Original Art Work Versus Prints

For some works of art, such as the Mona Lisa, or Rembrandt's The Night Watchmen, having a print is the only way to hang the painting in your home. I have a print of my favorite painting, Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez. Seeing these paintings in person eclipses the print. So much detail in the artist's expression is lost in the photograph. I love viewing a Sargent's painting, both from afar and up close. His brush work is so beautiful up close, but so loose and descriptive farther away. You miss most of the awe in this quality when looking at a print. While few people could own even a Sargent painting, many people can afford paintings by current artists who are creating art now. If possible, having the original piece of art is always preferable, but when it is not possible, such as Madame X by John Singer Sargent, then a print is the only option. 

Art and Self Actualization

Original creations of fine art pieces well executed and available to be viewed in person every day in your own home is a treasure indeed. Gazing upon an original art piece can be transformative. It is inspiring as well as stimulating. Fine art has the capability to stimulate what is the best and truest inside each of us. It raises our consciousness, improves our ability to see and appreciate the world around us, and ignites the noblest and best parts of ourselves. This inspiration helps to propel us towards our own self actualization. 

Find a piece of art you love that you can afford and make arrangements to own it. You will not regret this investment in beautification of your home as well as stimulating your inner drive towards self-actualization.

If you enjoyed this article, consider signing up for my monthly newsletter. You will receive one or two emails per month with links to articles like this one. You will also receive updates on upcoming events, behind-the-scenes look into my paintings, and first look at my newest paintings. I almost forgot...You also receive a 15% discount on my newest paintings.

Why I Avoid Zinc in my Paintings

Art as an Investment or Heirloom

Whether you are investing in art for you, for future generations, as a family heirloom, or as a legacy gift to a museum/alma mater, the longevity of that art work should be important to you. If you were going to invest in a stock, you would research to find out the history of the painting, who was leading the company, expected growths, etc. You would do your due diligence before purchasing a share of the stock. Art is no different.

While you want to make sure that the art is of high quality, you also want to make sure that the art was created on solid supports and of sound materials. What people seem to have forgotten about art, is that it is definitely a marathon and not a sprint. It's about if the painting will stand the test of time. Will conservators be able to maintain it over time?

Zinc as a Siren

When zinc was introduced on the market, it was shortly after titanium white, an opaque white pigment. It was billed as safer than lead, the traditional but toxic white pigment, and more translucent than the recently developed opaque titanium white. It could make soft, delicate tints of translucent color for lighter passages. Artists began to use it and soon it became used throughout the art world. Manufacturers began to add a bit of zinc to titanium and then to other pigments to make specialty colors such as kings blue. They also sold it as pure zinc white. It was ubiquitous in the art market. Even now, it can be challenging to find an oil primed ground without zinc or titanium white without small amounts of added zinc. 

Problems Began

Around the turn of the twenty-first century, art conservators began to notice some issues with oil paintings completed in the early twentieth century. More cracking and some delamination problems were noted. The conservators didn't have an explanation for this, only that some oil paintings of less than one hundred years old (young in terms of an oil painting), were aging faster or developing problems normally seen in paintings three to five hundred years old. 

The sentinel article by Mecklenburg and Tumosa demonstrate the potential risk to the longevity of the paint film when zinc is added to the paint mixture. They did not find a safe amount zinc in a paint film. Every paint film with any amount of zinc in it was found to become quite brittle in as little as 3 years. This makes it easier for the paint film to crack. It also showed that paint films with zinc in the mixture separated or delaminated. Delamination is a far more serious problem than cracking. We know that paint films crack over time, but it is uncommon to see paintings peel, separate or delaminate. This is a potentially destructive process. 

While I don't want this article to be a technical discussion about ions, pigments, and chemistry, I do want to be transparent about the research and where I'm getting the knowledge. If you want to learn more about the harmful effects zinc has on paintings, please read more here. Please see also the references list at the bottom of this article. 

The Choice

I research the panels that I use and use the best materials that I can find. Early on before learning about the harmful effects of zinc, I did use zinc and use oil primed linen panels (which used small to unknown amounts of zinc along with titanium white). Currently, I primarily use Natural Pigments Artefex lead white-oil primed smooth ACM panels. These cost almost twice as much as the next best competitor (zinc free oil primed panels) and five times as much as an oil primed linen panel (which uses both titanium and zinc pigments in the oil ground). 

You have chosen to invest in something you hope to have as a family heirloom or to leave as a legacy gift. You cannot do this if the painting will crack, crumble, or fall apart in a hundred years or so. I make this investment in materials for you and whatever you choose to do with your art acquisition.

If you enjoyed this article, consider signing up for my monthly newsletter. You will receive one or two emails per month with links to articles like this one. You will also receive updates on upcoming events, behind-the-scenes look into my paintings, and first look at my newest paintings. I almost forgot...You also receive a 15% discount on my newest paintings.

References:

https://www.naturalpigments.com/artist-materials/zinc-white-oil-paint-color/

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/mrs-online-proceedings-library-archive/article/deterioration-in-abstract-expressionist-paintings-analysis-of-zinc-oxide-paint-layers-in-works-from-the-collection-of-the-hirshhorn-museum-and-sculpture-garden-smithsonian-

institution/86E7882FF045EF63B3E5C71A8077F818

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1179/bac.2013.34.1.002

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-10100-2_11

Traditional Oil Painting: Advanced Techniques and Concepts from the Renaissance to the Present, 2019. Virgil Elliott.

LAND'S END, THE FINISHED PAINTING

Posted originally on 5/28/2019 10:04:43 PM by Cori Dyson, MD 
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Seeing PACE as a Workshop

Currently I see PACE (Plein Air Convention and Expo) as more of a workshop to learn new techniques, new ways of seeing, or new ways of getting paint on the canvas. Part of that learning is coming home and finishing the painting you started on site at home. This is like doing homework when you were in school. The teacher taught something new, such as long division. You didn't really master that until you went home and practiced and practiced it. This is why it's important to finish the paintings you start while at a workshop, or in my case, PACE. 

Land's End

This painting is one of those examples. I started it on site, and learned a great deal from starting it there. I started with a good value structure, good composition, and good idea. I wasn't able to finish it during the time I had. Part of that is I'm still working on speed and part of that was the cold did begin to get to me. My fingers were barely able to move by the time I was putting everything away. 

Taking what I had learned on location and in the demos/lectures, I needed to come back home and do my "homework", or finish the paintings. I'm so glad I finished this painting. In every painting, you learn something. This one taught me many lessons, and I'm so grateful to this painting for the many lessons. 

Learning

In order to really become a master of any craft, you need to learn from some of the best in that field. In psychiatry, that means reading journal articles, attending conferences, reading textbooks, etc. In art, that means examining the artwork of masters who had painted something similar to see how they tackled the problem or subject. In this case. the exact subject. 

Here is a painting by Bierstadt, one of the early Plein Air Painters of the Americas. He painted Land's End as well. His work is definitely the work of a master!

I love looking at his water! It is telling a story in and of itself. Also, the light on the water seems to glow from within. I love it! This is most likely a studio painting painted from one or more plein air studies, and memory. It is certainly gorgeous. 

Thanks for tuning in. Hope you enjoyed my painting as well as seeing how a master artist tackled the same scene. What would you like to read about in future article? Please let me know in the comment section below or send me an email. 

If you enjoyed this article, consider signing up for my monthly newsletter. You will receive one or two emails per month with links to articles like this one. You will also receive a free print of one of my paintings. Oh, and you receive updates on upcoming events, behind-the-scenes look into my paintings, and first look at my newest paintings. I almost forgot...You also receive a 10% discount on any of my original paintings.

Varnishing Paintings

Why Varnish a Painting

Historically, when most households were heated by wood burning, then coal burning, stoves, it was imperative to varnish the paintings to keep the soot from staining the paintings. Some people think that since we no longer need to burn fires in our homes for heat, that varnishing is not really necessary. Varnish is protective to the painting in many ways.

The first way is a simple physical protectant to the delicate painting. A good coat of varnish will physically protect the painting from dirt, dust,  and abrasion (scratches or gouges). It is easier to wipe dust from a painting which has been varnished, than an unvarnished painting. Dirt or other contaminants can embed into the painting, thereby making removal next to impossible.

The next way a varnish can protect a painting is through ultraviolet filters. Ultraviolet light damages the pigments and sometimes the binder of the paint film. Not all varnishes have this added, but those that do convey some protection from harmful ultraviolet rays to paintings. All pigments used in paints are rated according to their lightfastness. I use pigments rated I or II (which are generally considered lightfast in all to most conditions). Some artists still use alizarin crimson, which even with ultraviolet filters and museum lighting, will fade in about a century or so. 

Varnish also protects the painting from a chemical process of oxidation. Oxidation is a chemical process where the compound combines with oxygen and becomes transformed. Iron turns to rust through oxidation and linseed and walnut oil 'dries' via oxidation. The oxygen causes the linseed oil to form rigid bonds between molecules and slowly hardens over times. Too much oxidation can be bad as well. In time (decades to centuries) oil paintings left exposed to oxygen will continue past stable bonds and the molecular bonds begin to degrade.

Especially when paintings are on rigid surfaces, varnishes may add a stabilizing external framework to the painting. This helps to prevent cracking. On stretched canvas, it may contribute to cracking of the painting as the varnish ages and becomes more brittle and rigid. 

Some pigments are hygroscopic (the ability of a chemical compound to absorb or adsorb water). Depending on the humidity, these pigments can swell and shrink. These micro-changes to the paint film can, in time, cause cracks. If a painting is on a rigid surface, such as a panel, and a good varnish is applied, this may mitigate all or most of these effects. I have eliminated all umbers from my palette and am making the switch from yellow ochre to synthetic iron oxides for this reason. 

Another important reason to varnish, is pure aesthetics. Varnish brings back to life the colors, especially darker, richer colors, to life. It makes the painting look freshly painting again. After a painting dries, er oxidizes, some passages may look dull. Artists call this "sinking in". Some pigments cause this to happen more often than others, such as umbers. Once of the many reasons, I've removed all umbers from my palette. Even thought I'm no longer using umbers, some of my darker patches still look rather lifeless, until I varnish them. Then they come to life and sing again. I love varnishing my paintings as a result!

Best Time to Varnish

According to conservators and the author of Traditional Oil Painting, Virgil Elliott, the best time to varnish is between six and twelve months. This can be a long time to wait to see a painting come back to life. Since oxygen is necessary for the painting to oxidize or cure and varnishes block oxygen from the paint film, then varnishing early will impede the curing of the paint. When a painting is varnished too early, the varnish adheres to the top parts of the paint film. You may not think this is a problem. Varnish will yellow in time (hundred  to two hundred years or so) and will need to removed and replaced with a fresh coat of varnish. Conservators try to remove only the varnish, but sometimes, inadvertently, top layers of paint are also removed. When varnishing, you need to take this into account. By waiting to varnish, you allow the painting to cure and make it less likely that the varnish will adhere to the paint film. This minimizes the chances that part of the painting will be removed with the old varnish.

Best Varnish to Use

As I've been learning to paint, I've also been learning the technical aspects of painting as well. It has been a steep learning curve and as much as I've learned, I still feel very much the student. I will share a bit of what I've learned and how I've applied it to my paintings. One interesting fact that I didn't know, and doesn't seem to be common knowledge, is that varnishes have a relatively short shelf-life. Once the ingredients are mixed together (resin, solvent (generally odorless mineral spirits), and ultraviolet light stabilizer) the varnish is only at it's peak of stability for about a month. Anything after that and the ultraviolet light stabilizers degrade and are no longer as effective. the UV light stabilizer significantly prolongs the life of the varnish, and thus limits the number of times the varnish will need to be removed in the lifetime of the painting. Because of this, I prefer to mix my varnish when needed, and only use the varnish for about a month after mixing.

The second criteria that I use for choosing a varnish is ease of removal even after a hundred or more years. Some resins become harder, more brittle, and more difficult to remove with time. This requires conservators to use stronger solvents to remove the varnish which will be more likely to also remove part of the paint film. I have decided to use the varnish resin Regalrez 1094 because it does not cross-link with aging and is able to removed with a relatively mild solvent (odorless mineral spirits).

The only company who makes a varnish using the synthetic hydrocarbon resin Regalrez 1094 in a kit that you mix when it is needed is Natural Pigments. The kit comes with resin, odorless mineral spirits (OMS) and a UV stabilizer. The instructions are easy to follow.

Varnishing is Included, I Even Make House Calls

Whether you purchase the painting varnished or unvarnished, varnishing is included. I believe varnish adds aesthetic value to the painting as well as protects it for future generations. If you take a painting home before it is varnished, and if you live close enough, I am happy to come to your house and varnish the painting for you. I want you to have the best value for your investment, and varnishing provides that for you. 

My Paintings are Our Legacy

You may have purchased a painting because it went with your dining room set or with your new living room set. You may have seen it as an investment potential for you or your children. You may have also wanted something unique, handmade, and original in your home. Most likely you chose my piece for your home for some combination of these reasons. Now my painting has become your painting, or has it? We now have a shared legacy through this painting. Now we are partners because we both want to see this painting's value be protected from harm.  

References

Natural Pigments article 

If you enjoyed this article, consider signing up for my monthly newsletter. You will receive one or two emails per month with links to articles like this one. You will also receive a free print of one of my paintings. Oh, and you receive updates on upcoming events, behind-the-scenes look into my paintings, and first look at my newest paintings. I almost forgot...You also receive a 10% discount on any of my original paintings. 

Originally posted at coridyson.com on 10/16/18.

Santa Fe, Trombones, and Afternoon Light

If you've been on my list for any length of time, you probably remember the newsletter about PACE18 in Santa Fe. I included quite a few pictures and shared about my experiences. I brought back a few sketches that I had started on site and I've been slowly finishing them at home. The first one, Ghost Ranch Sonata no. 1, has been finished for quite some time now, and already has a new home. I sold this to a subscriber who loves the Ghost Ranch as well as admires Georgia O'Keefe and her tenacity. This painting is a reminder of being at the Ghost Ranch and symbolizes her many memories of Santa Fe over the years to her. 

I started another painting while at Santa Fe. This one was of downtown Santa Fe. It was beautiful that afternoon with the afternoon light lighting up the adobe buildings casting long shadows. I loved the simple, rounded, bold shapes of light and dark of which I captured only vaguely in the sketch on site back in April. I wanted to complete this painting because of the beauty in the simplicity. 

Afternoon Light, Downtown Santa Fe

Afternoon Light and Shadows

You may have noticed a theme in my paintings, light and shadow. I love light and I really love shadows. Shadows are the key to making your lights sing. Well, one of the keys. You have to have solid shadows to support the highlights. To really explain this, let me discuss this in terms of music.

Trombone Shadows

In high school I played the trombone. While I loved the instrument and the deep, rich sounds I could make with it, I often got bored with playing the same notes and same boring background music only for the silly flute to get to play the melody. Rarely did the trombone play the melody. It was mostly other instruments. For a long time I was frustrated by this and felt cheated by this. At some point, it may have been my senior year, I realized that the entire band sounded good. The entirety of the sound made by the marching or concert band sounded best when everyone played their part well. I realized, almost too late, that my trombone sound was vital to the overall richness and depth of sound. The trombone added a deep richness that other instruments could not. The Tuba just provided the bass sound, but lacked the round, richness of the trombone. The French horn came closest, but it's sound, while being round and rich, was often too high or light. The trombone provided the rich bass notes that rounded out the overall basses and overall supported the sound. It provided part of the structure and support for which the flutist could lightly lay their melody. My focus on playing my part to the fullest and richest potential, provided the best background and support for the flutes, clarinets, trumpets and even saxophones to sing with the melody. When I think of painting shadows now, I think of the rich, round, deep tones of the trombone and try to imagine how I could paint the shadows as a trombone might play them. 

The shadows in Santa Fe looked like a symphony of trombones were playing on the walls of the adobe all afternoon. It was beautiful to see the richness of the shadows play against the lights. The afternoon light in Santa Fe was so bright and clear and, well light. Let me try to explain how light can be light. 

Flute-like Lights

Sometimes, light appears to be heavy. Here in Arkansas on hot summer days, as the sun is setting behind tree tops, the light appears to be heavy. It seems to be more weighted than the light gentle touches of early morning light. It's like the day starts out as a flute playing a light airy solo and ends with a trio of tuba, trombone, and french horn. Or the day starts out as light as a feather and ends as heavy as New Orleans in August. [A side note, Netflix search engine voice recognition program recognizes New Orleans pronounced as Nawlins]. 

Santa Fe Light

Santa Fe provided a colorful and feather-light afternoon light. It was exhilarating and challenging to paint this gorgeous, clear luminosity being reflected off the adobe buildings.  I'm not sure if I caught all the subtleties of New Mexico light in the afternoon, perhaps the next time I'm in Santa Fe I will capture its elusive beauty. 

What I did capture in this piece, "Afternoon Light" was memories of a beautiful city full of rich history and culture; beautiful, simple shapes of dark and light; and a simplistic elegant design. I hope you enjoy this piece. It was one of the paintings featured in my recent art show at Recovery Room in November 2018. This piece is still available. Please message contact me for more information about acquiring this or another piece. 

If you enjoyed this article, consider signing up for my monthly newsletter. You will receive one or two emails per month with links to articles like this one. You will also receive a free print of one of my paintings. Oh, and you receive updates on upcoming events, behind-the-scenes look into my paintings, and first look at my newest paintings. I almost forgot...You also receive a 10% discount on any of my original paintings. 

Originally published on www.coridyson.com 2018.

Daffodils, Nature's Simple Beauties

Courier of Spring and Sunshine

Springtime is heralded by the early blooming daffodils, or as they are also called-Jonquils. These are the first flowers to bloom in spring, often before winter has had it's last hoorah. Like today, March 3rd, it is snowing, but I've already painted several daffodils that bloomed earlier in the week. These are hardy flowers able to withstand winds, light nows, frost, and pounding sunshine. Their time is brief, which reminds us that our time on this earth is also brief, but the joy they bring is long lasting, especially when memorialized in oil.

My Favorite Flower

Have I told you this is my favorite flower? I can still remember clumps of these bright yellow flowers popping up all over my grandparents yard growing up. I have loved these simple, beautiful flowers as long as I can remember. I remember picking just one and giving it to my grandmother, whom we called Mimmie. She would put it in a jelly jar with water on her windowsill above her kitchen sink. She would comment on how beautiful the flower was every time I was in the kitchen and she was at the sink, which was quite often. She made me feel like I had given her a dozen roses. 

Beautiful, yet Challenging to Paint

While they have a simple beauty, they remain a challenge to paint. It is difficult to achieve a three-dimensional likeness of them on a two-dimensional surface such as an aluminum composite panel. Despite the challenge, their beauty calls me like a siren's song. I love how my studio is filled with their delicate scent as I paint them. This is the one time of year that my studio doesn't smell overwhelmingly like oxidizing linseed oil! It is something I look forward to every year. Their time with us is fleeting, but it makes them ever more cherished.

One of the challenges, is that one must almost paint them Alla Prima (in one sitting) because they wilt pretty quickly when placed in water and placed in the gaze of a strong light. I've found that they are their best for only about 12-24 hours. 

In painting them for three years now, I have found that Alla Prima does indeed work best for these fleeting beauties. It is more important to capture the feeling of their beauty than their exactness. In taking the time to capture them exactly, the daffodils life and true beauty is sacrificed. It is better to paint looser and letting your feelings guide your strokes. 

Originally posted here. 

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