How to Begin an Abstract Painting

Jim Hardiman Thoughts Leave a Comment

Here is an idea of how to begin an abstract painting. This approach could be used as an art activity for children, or become the starting point for a more complicated painting.  You will need to gesso a canvas, and cut some shapes of plastic from a yoghurt container lid as well as your and paint brushes, water container, paper …

A Bucket of Waste-water

Christene Sandeson Thoughts Leave a Comment

Here is a Tidy Tip for brush washing and for discarding paint water. When I had a really big studio in a really big house, my studio sink was splattered in paint and its drain was coated with stinky scum. Been there? So hard to avoid! I designed my current studio to accommodate an overnight guest, and prefer NOT to …

Making a Paint Sandwich

Christene Sandeson Thoughts Leave a Comment

Here is a painting tip for those who work in acrylic media. You can try this method to keep colour mixtures moist for several days. (If you own a wet palette, you can skip to the next post.) I usually have 3 – 4 paintings in progress and tend to work with one or two colour mixtures at a time. …

Tripods from Coat Hangers

Christene Sandeson Thoughts Leave a Comment

This little display tip is one that I use to showcase some of my very small paintings in my studio. I have kept a quantity of unused wire coat hangers because, who knows? When might I need some sturdy wire? I would like to share an idea But if wire coat hangers are bending you out of shape, here is …

After Cannelloni

Christene Sandeson Thoughts Leave a Comment

Here is a studio tip for brush maintenance that came from one of my painting students. Andrea repurposes cannelloni pasta trays to support her brushes while painting. Many prepared food items come in well-designed plastic containers. Mostly these are recycled, but if you look closely at the one in the photo below, notice it’s elongated channels divided by a central …

Studio Clean Up

Christene Sandeson Thoughts Leave a Comment

Beginning in March of 2020, Canada began a period of social distancing as a result of the novel Covid-19 virus. The most notable change in my calendar was that my teaching practise was deleted from the calendar. This gave me a surprising amount of time to think about where I am and where I am going. I decided to re-arrange …