11.16.2017

denver bound

tonight's progress; casein tempera on aluminum; 10" x 8"
My oldest grandson left today.  He's going back to Denver and already I'm missing him terribly.  The joy and life he brings to this house/studio is indescribable.

The painting above (started tonight) is my second attempt on aluminum.  The first time went horribly - and, I must confess, I was pretty stubborn about starting this one.  But now I'm loving it - although it's still got a ways to go.  I also had time today to prepare 9 Clayboards with 6 coats of Venetian Red casein. 

The search continues for the optimum surface upon which to paint. 

Number 91 of the 100-Painting Reboot

2 comments:

Jan said...

Hi Mary,
I just bought an aluminum blank sample but have yet to try it. Please let us know what you like and dislike about it. I wasn't sure if I should use casein on it or oil so am glad you're experimenting with it! The painting on it looks great so far!

Mary Klein said...

Thank you, Jan!

So far, here are the pros and cons:

On the plus side I love how archival it is, how easy it will be to ship and the fact that I can frame it like an oil painting. The negatives are that it has zero absorbency. For some reason it takes much longer for the casein to dry on the aluminum - and therefore for subsequent layers to be applied.

I was able to work around the absorbency issue a bit by toning the surface with six coats of casein paint and then letting it cure for three weeks.

The proof will be in the finished painting. If I like my work on it well enough, I can manage the negatives. No one support is perfect - they all have their idiosyncrasies.

Thanks again for your comment!