Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Oil change. Let's paint!

We're stuck for an hour and a half in the waiting room of the tire place while the car gets an oil change and a tire rotation. The icy rain is coming down on the remnants of snow.

Oil Change, gouache, 5 x 8 inches.
Luckily I have a few tubes of gouache. I choose Prussian blue, perylene maroon, cadmium yellow deep, and white. I'm painting over a page primed with a violet-gray layer of casein. That color becomes the basic tone of the outside scene.

The indoor scene is a study in warm and cool—cool on the horizontal planes that catch cool light from outdoors, and warm on the vertical planes facing into the room.



The video shows the process. If you're getting this post by email, you might need to follow this link to see the video.

Previous posts about sketching while waiting
Strange light at the tire place
While waiting for tires
Waiting room
Car dealership
Mud puddle outside the car mechanic
Amtrak station

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15 comments:

Steve Gilzow said...

Well -- another atmospheric painting in a seemingly uninviting location. Yet, once again, I'm captivated by a remarkable sweater knit, I'm guessing, by Jeanette. Tessellated black and white bipeds flexing their arms! And what's up with the words "Fingerprints Are Welcome" on the glass behind your shoulder?

James Gurney said...

So observant of you to notice. You made Jeanette's day. That's the tessellated imp sweater. And I think they wanted to encourage kids to look through the window into the mechanic's shop. They said next time we could do our sketches in there with the workers.

gyrusdentus said...

Do you use Gouache als an underpainting for Oil or would you always prefer casein?

gyrusdentus said...

Do you use Gouache als an underpainting for Oil or would you always prefer casein?

James Gurney said...

I prefer casein as an underpainting for oil.

Warren JB said...

"We're stuck for an hour and a half in the waiting room of the tire place while the car gets an oil change and a tire rotation. The icy rain is coming down on the remnants of snow.
Luckily I have a few tubes of gouache..."


Hard to think of many better openings to a GJ blog post. I imagine Humphrey Bogart narrating, or possibly the Blues Brothers. In any case, the rest of the post certainly didn't disappoint, and it reminds me to test how deep my coat pockets are.

Although, for the first second after reading the post title, I wondered if it was some kind of New Year's resolution, and if the gouache had had it.

And I tell myself off for not taking a closer look at the sweater, first time. It's an impressive, and somewhat intimidating pattern!

gyrusdentus said...

Thanks, James.
I wondered if you would just Layer Oil onto this painting. Is there a specific Reason why Gouache is not advisable?
A lot of European realists use acrylic as an underpainting since Cassein is hard to get here.
Sorry, if that question was too random.
Take care

Steve said...

Any day I can make Jeanette's day makes my day.

Gloria J Callahan Colored Pencil Paintings said...

I love the atmosphere James and you inspire me to do the same when I'm in such places. As a colored pencil artist I'm always curious as to what Jeanette is doing (it looks to be more graphic in nature). Wish you would show hers too on the post. Thanks for the fun video!

James Gurney said...

Thanks, Gloria. You're right: Jeanette was using a fine point pen with a few watercolor touches. She captured the inflatable Santa which I missed. From time to time I invite her to share her sketch too, and she usually passes.

Gyrus, I don't think there's any reason gouache won't work, except that it's kind of expensive for an underpainting medium.

Warren, I love that idea of reading the intro lines in a film-noir style.

Pilgrim said...

I find this one amazing, because the scene you had to work with was so ordinary.

Izak van Langevelde said...

This gives a new meaning to 'oil painting' ;o)

Sharon Lynn Williams Fine Art said...

Hi James: I am new to your blog and am fascinated. I have a question about your palette -whenever I squeeze gouache into a palette to dry and use as I do with water colour, I find that the gouache hardens into lumps and falls out. It is still useable, but chasing the balls of paint with a wet brush is most unsatisfying! Can you please tell me what brand of gouache you use, and if that is the reason your palette looks so useable? (I am using a plastic palette -could that be the problem?) thanks in advance 😘

Sharon Lynn Williams Fine Art said...

Hi James: I am new to your blog and am fascinated. I have a question about your palette -whenever I squeeze gouache into a palette to dry and use as I do with water colour, I find that the gouache hardens into lumps and falls out. It is still useable, but chasing the balls of paint with a wet brush is most unsatisfying! Can you please tell me what brand of gouache you use, and if that is the reason your palette looks so useable? (I am using a plastic palette -could that be the problem?) thanks in advance 😘

James Gurney said...

Hi, Sharon, I use a lot of kinds of gouache, and mix brands, but they include Holbein, Winsor Newton, Utrect, M. Graham, and others. I know what you mean about chasing around dried blobs of paint. I try to do all the painting with fresh squeezed paint, rather than rewetting dried paint. Some gouache painters use gouache like pan watercolor and squeeze it into an empty watercolor box, mixing the paint with some extra gum arabic to make it less brittle.