In this 5 week, 3 hour class students will use nature as a jumping off point to explore abstraction and expressionism in oil paint. Students are encouraged to bring in organic objects, plants, flowers and photos that inspire them for composition, shapes and colors, as inventing a palette that feels honest can be just as difficult as inventing an abstract composition that feels true.
We will play between creating intuitively and closely observing our sources. We will discuss how to ground these works considering more formal elements of composition and how choices made in color, saturation, temperature and mark making impact the way the viewer navigates the piece.
We will explore how to create depth with color, layers, pattern and varied mark making. We will look at the work of artists such as Joan Mitchell, Georgia O’Keefe, Wassily Kandinsky, Cy Twombly, Jenny Saville, Suzanne Jackson, Dana Schutz and Norman Lewis for inspiration.
Thursdays, 6:00 PM- 9:00 PM
Instructor: Chelsea Dubick
Capacity: 10 students
Registration and Fees
Become a member of the Oak Park Art League and save on class registration.
Members: $225.00; after 3/27/2020: $235.00
Non-Members: $255.00; after 3/27/2020: $265.00
Registration Required.
Registration Code of Conduct Policy
MATERIAL LIST
OIL PAINTING SUPPLIES
For the first two classes, please bring at least 5 smaller surfaces to work on. Around 12" squares or rectangles. Slightly smaller or larger is fine, whatever size you are most comfortable with.
Blick regularly has deals on small canvases. Painting masonite squares or thick mixed media/watercolor paper with 2 or 3 layers of white acrylic gesso makes a lovely and inexpensive painting surface for oils. White gesso primer can be purchased at any art store. If you choose to prepare your own gessoed surfaces, make sure to paint a gessoed X on the back to prevent warping. Gesso can be watered down slightly to better cover the surface. Change the direction of your strokes with each layer and allow each layer to dry fully before painting on the next.. Please contact me by email with any questions about painting surfaces.
If you have worked on acrylic primed canvas pads previously and like them, you are welcome to use them. It’s not my personal preference, but many artists like the slick surface. And, again, very inexpensive.
For the 3rd class, please bring the painting surface(s) you will use for the rest of the time, either one or two larger canvases or another series of smaller surfaces. No need to make a decision until week 2.
BRUSHES:
one or two cheap 2" wooden-handled brushes to use for base layers (they're usually 99 cents at the hardware store.)
Please bring a selection of sizes of coarse bristle brushes (which can be less expensive) and soft brushes (which can be pricier) in flat, bright, round and filbert heads of varying sizes. Keep in mind, you can make a thin line with a quality large brush, but you can't make a thick line with a small one.
OIL PAINTS - A selection of oil paints. Make sure to get:
Cobalt Blue
Cadmium Red
Alizarin Crimson
Cadmium Yellow
Burnt Sienna (Brown)
Magenta
Black
Whites (preferably 2: titanium white and opaque white or zinc white)
Sap Green.
Any others are a bonus!
I’m not particular about which brand to get. I personally use a mix of them, as colors differ widely between brands. Jerry's Art-A-Rama is great online source for cheaper oil paints, particularly the Lukas Studio Oils line. Buying a twelve color set can be a good place to start. Winsor & Newton colors tend to be more translucent, while Lukas tend to be more opaque. Artists’/professional grade oil paints are more expensive because they have more pigment, studio oil paints have less but still work well.
https://www.jerrysartarama.com/lukas-studio-oil-color-sets
https://www.jerrysartarama.com/winsor-newton-artists-oil-color-sets
Try to get at least two kinds of white. Keep in mind that different whites blend very differently. Titanium white is the most opaque and makes more pastel colors, while other whites lightens without making colors quite so chalky. I usually prefer opaque white from Lukas or Zinc or Soft Mixing White from Winsor & Newton, but I like to have options.
IF you prefer water based oils that is also fine!
A bottle of Gamsol or any non-toxic or low-toxic solvent, many are available.
If you are able to buy it in person, see if you can open them to make sure the scent isn't overwhelming, as anything strong odor in the classroom will quickly become intolerable, as our ventilation is limited.
A Small bottle of Gamblin Galkyd Lite, liquin or a similar medium to increase the fluidity of the paint and add a slight shine.
Other options:
Walnut oil is a good non-toxic, non-smelly alternative to use as both a medium and as a solvent and can be purchased at art stores and or at grocery stores for considerably less. However, it does dry slower than most solvents, which can be a burden or a boon, depending on your aims.
Safflower oil and Linseed oil make paints flow more and slow down drying time. Refined linseed takes slightly longer to dry than cold pressed linseed. These are good to use if you want to keep working a surface for a long time. Adding a bit of damar varnish to your medium, on the other hand, makes oil paint dry more quickly.
If you’d like to read up on different oils for mediums, this is a good page!
https://www.liveabout.com/drying-oils-or-mediums-used-in-oil-painting-2573784
Two plastic squeeze bottles, one for clean solvent and one for medium.
Palette knife for paint mixing. There are lots of different shapes and sizes. I prefer a shorter one with a rounded tip, but play with them and see what you prefer.
Glass scraper to clean your palette (hardware store)
Palette paper OR A square of glass to use as a palette, about 18" x 18" or larger.
If using glass, use duct tape on the edges and back it with white posterboard to stabilize the glass and allow to see the colors you are mixing more clearly against a white background. Mixing on glass is FAR more satisfying but can be difficult to transport. A cheap picture frame with glass (not plastic) can also make a great palette.
Saran Wrap to cover any colors you wish to keep on your palette for the next class.
-A “brush washer” container or any other that closes securely for your solvent. Brush washer containers have screens to keep the brushes above the gunk that settles in the bottom and they latch closed. They are excellent but need to be ordered online. Any screw top or very solid tupperware will also work. Examples:
https://guerrillapainter.com/collections/brush-washers/products/10oz-brush-washer
The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver.
It works wonders to get oil paint out and preserve your brushes. Dish soap over time will wreck fine brushes but works well for cheap ones.
Paper towels/paint rags
A bag for your dirty paper towels and paint rags to take home and dispose of after each class. The building is very old (and as such very flammable) and dirty paint rags are a fire hazard.
Masking tape (If you are using gessoed paper as a surface)
Please email me with any questions at chelseadubick@gmail.com