The Sydney Laurence Project: "Misty Morn"

I finished my first interpretation of Sydney Laurence's "Misty Morn." It is 20 x 30 canvas.

After drawing a very rough outline in charcoal I began to paint. I generally start top to bottom and dark colors to light colors. So I laid in the sky and portions of the mountains. When working with snow covered mountains it is best to start with the light areas and add color. So I left a large portion of the mountains unpainted. Later I added the white and contaminated it with color a little at a time.

I added the clouds after the painting had sat for a while. The clouds focus the eye on Mt. McKinley.

Notice the three distinctive zones of the painting. McKinley is in the background. The middle zone includes a stream and mountains. The foreground is apparent but in the interpretation lacks interest.

Now I will try to save the painting by adding some color contrast to the foreground. Perhaps I will add an element to the foreground to provide interest, as Laurence himself did.

The blue mountain in the middleground  appears to me to be too dark and distracting so I will have to tackle that too.

Otherwise I like the painting. It has been a worthwhile exercise. More later...

The Sydney Laurence Project: Materials

Canvas
There are many opinions concerning canvas types, panel types, preparation, etc. I paint on canvas. Panels are fine for the beginner, but only the best quality panels do not warp.

Most of the time I buy my own pre-primed canvases framed on 5/8 inch thick frames. I prefer Fredrix canvases but almost any brand will do for our purposes. Sometimes I frame my own odd size canvas. Either I purchase Fradrix wooden stretchers or I make my own.

Gallery framed canvases have become popular. These usually are 1.5 inches thick. They can be difficult and expensive to finish frame. If you don't live in a major metropolitan area you may have to use two frames for a gallery framed canvas - one as a foundation for the other in order to get the thickness you need.

Oil Paints
Oil paints are of different qualities. High quality paints contain more pigment than low quality paints. You can 'feel' the difference in the quality of paints. A good tube of paint is heavier than a lesser grade of paint. I avoid 'student' grade paints.

There are many different brands of paint and I use several. I know a 102 year old painter that uses Grumbacher oils exclusively. Most of my friends use Winsor & Newton oils. I prefer Gamblin oils. Get what you can get. I use dickblick.com for many supplies.

I have a big box full of oil colors but you don't need that many. Most of the time I use a handful of colors and I suggest that you start there. A set of primary colors and a big tube of white will do for beginners. You don't need black.

Color mixing is not hard to learn. I suggest that you experiment as you go along.

Brushes
With brushes you get what you pay for. Some artists are absolutely religious about brushes. Cheep brushes fall apart as you use them. Keep care of your brushes.

Buy good oil solvents to clean your brushes and use them safely. Some solvents can spontaneously combust when left on cloth and paper products. When I finish cleaning my brushes I place all disposable cleaning materials in a sealed container. A glass jar will do fine.

Special Note on Linseed Oil
If you use linseed oil in any painting process you will need to discard contaminated materials in a sealed container with water in it. I have had linseed saturated cloths burst into flames in my hand!

Never leave materials contaminated with linseed oil unattended. Spontaneous combustion is a big problem for linseed oil saturated materials. 

Clean Up 
Most of the time you can clean up with soap and water. If you have trouble cleaning your hands use some vegetable oil mixed with dish washing soap. That works every time. Paint and oils on your clothes can sometimes be removed with a gel-like cleaning product called Gojo. It is normally used to remove grease from hands.