Priming Canvas

El Capitan Meadow 18x24" oil

Above is an example of a painting in progress that shows the prime color that I use under my painting. I prime with acrylic paint and I use 1 part yellow, 1 part red, and 3 parts white. I tend to mix up a batch in an old butter tub and prime 10 to 20 canvases at a time. There is nothing worse for me than to have that urge to paint and to not have a primed canvas ready. You can oil paint on top of acrylic but never paint with acrylic on top of an oil painting. It will not stick and it will peel off.

I like to prime my canvas with a warm color. If I am painting outdoors it keeps the white canvas from blinding me. But I use this color under all my paintings as I feel like it really warms up the painting as it comes through some of the colors. I often paint late at night in my studio. I am not sure if it my lack of sleep or if the lighting is not good enough, but when I view my late evening's work the next morning I can see small what I call holes of white peeking through all over the canvas. I to tend to paint thin. I suppose if I really globbed on the paint like an impressionist I would not have this problem. But now the prime color shows through and I actually like the effect. Rarely do I ever go in and touch up those "holes" anymore.

Try this mix, or come up a shade of your own. I like using acrylic as it keeps me away from the thin wash of turpentine or thinner and color. Any opportunity to avoid exposure to and use less solvent is a plus health wise.

Another Yosemite Painting

El Capitan Meadow  18x24" oil on canvas, studio piece

This is my newest painting, just delivered to the gallery.  It is an autumn scene of El Capitan Meadow in Yosemite with Half Dome in the background and El Capitan there on the left.  Again, this was done from field notes and sketches that I had done.  During the fall you can catch the meadow ablaze in color like this.  Almost appearing like it is on fire!

Yosemite is truly one of my greatest inspirations and favorite place to hike and sketch.

El Capitan, Yosemite National Park, CA

El Capitan, oil on canvas, 40x30"  Studio piece painted from field studies

I just finished this painting this morning.  It was done from sketches that I did in Yosemite National Park this past summer.  I did several plein aire sketches and many small pen and ink and watercolor sketches in my mole skiene book.

When I got home most of my photographs are of El Capitan as viewed from El Capitan Meadow.  It is an enormous view but encompasses so much with all the trees, vegetation, sky, clouds, and the huge El Capitan itself.  The largest single piece of granite in the world.  Remember what I said about being overwhelmed with the scene?  Too much to capture?  I simplified this painting by zeroing in on the enormous face of this rock, showing the pine trees that are dwarfed by its presence. I had zeroed my camera in on a close up scene of the rock face as well as doing a quick sketch of the view I knew I would later want to paint back in the studio.

Get yourself to Yosemite if you haven't been there yet.  There is an entire world in that 7 mile long valley just waiting to be captured on canvas!