Oil Paints - The Spirit of the Medium
Thankfully, after moving on to high school I was introduced to oil paints for the first time. Of course, it was a little disappointing when I rushed home to grab the oil paint chest that my father passed down to me and realized that the paints were too old to work with, but the school's supply wasn't too bad - for a beginner. Immediately, I realized how much easier it was for me to paint with oil. The paint glided on like velvet paste, and the colors were so much more vibrant (at the time I didn't know I was using manufactured pigments, but that's another article!). When I arrived at art class the next day to continue my work, I was very happily surprised to learn that my paint still blended well with the day-old paint already on the canvas. Even more to my surprise, when I made a mistake my teacher handed me a rag with a little turpentine on it and simply said, "just wipe it off". I was ecstatic, and from that day forward the smell of the oil paint started to flow with passion in my veins.
Through the years, I have begun to understand more and more how to use oil paint to its fullest capacity. I'm no longer an artist striving for instant gratification. I thrive in the process, and let my paintings cultivate like plants through stages of life until I feel as if they have matured into what I feel is a finished painting. Sometimes I even work on three or four paintings at a time. The fluidity of this medium that the old masters were certainly clever to capitalize on is the only form of painting that allows such a relationship between artist and his or her work.
I strongly recommend oil painting to anyone who would love to identify with his or her artwork on a new level. Even beginners will find that the medium is so forgiving and fulfilling, and not at all as intimidating as it might seem at first glance.
Oil Painting here at Suite 101 will explore a further understanding of oil painting as a medium for all levels of painters. There will be step-by-step how-tos and techniques in learning to oil paint as a beginner, and discussions and development projects for intermediate or advanced painters. The format will evolve according to the needs of the visitors, so please
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