Rosa Gallery oil paints

"Arty-choke"
19 x 24cm Rosa oil on linen canvas

I had a tube of titanium white from Rosa and liked the thick consistency of the paint. So when I saw you could get 24 x 20ml tubes for 26.49 euros, I decided to try them out. It's fun having new paints and I thought the small tubes would be practical for "plein air" work. They are made in the Ukraine and labeled "professional". Their consistency might come from the fact they use stand oil as a binder. One site says this makes working "alla prima" more enjoyable, which is what I am hoping.

I first tried them out on a canvas scrap. Cadmiums and cobalts are "hues" and the lightfastness is either ** or *** (except cobalt violet deep is *). I don't know what scale they are using but if the maximum is ***, then I suppose this is not bad. Mixing with titanium produced some nice subtle shades.

The artichokes above are not "plein air" because it started raining again here in Belgium so I found inspiration in a photo that Lynda Pynn posted on the “Free Reference Photos for Artists” Facebook group. So far I am happy with the paints. As soon as possible I will try them for painting on location. 

More flowers in the sun

"Begonias"
oil on 20x20cm canvas panel
(Private collection, Brussels)

"Impatiens"
oil on 20x20cm canvas panel
(Private collection, Brussels)

The weather got better again in Belgium after all that rain and catastrophic flooding.
The flowers in the garden are so vibrant when the sun comes out. I did two more studies, observing the budding, blooming, wilting -- and trying to capture each flower's uniqueness.

 

Garden Colors

 

"Petunias in a yellow pot"
20x20cm, oil on canvas panel

I'm always trying to cut down on the number of paint tubes I carry around. The result is that I have colors in my closet that I don't remember how to use. Time for some research. I began by reading about mixing greens and how it was important to mix warm yellows with warm blues or cool yellows with cool blues for the best results (link). I made a big chart of mixtures and discovered that Phthalo blue was actually quite useful. I'll definitely need to experiment further with that. Meanwhile I'm also taking a new look at my reds.

The petunias were a fun place to start. They pop out in the sun, I can't come close with my standard palette. Transparency seems to work: “permanent magenta”, "permanent mauve", "rose madder", with the white of the canvas showing through. I may try this again like Carol Marine suggested on Daily Paintworks: The Sunflower Challenge

#TAE - Twitter Art Exhibit

In February, I donated a postcard to the Twitter Art Exhibit. This year's sales are going to benefit a UK charity: the Leukaemia and Intensive Chemotherapy Fund. Read more here: https://www.twitterartexhibit.org/

The postcards sell for 30£ each. Here’s how I found out that mine was sold:

"Snow Day" was inspired by a photo from Bill Jones in the Free Reference Photos for Artists Facebook group.

Afterwards I received a nice thank you email from the buyer who also tweeted a picture of the card in a frame:

It’s nice to see it framed. Definitely a positive experience: not only did I get some practice painting snow but the buyer is pleased and we’ve both contributed to fighting cancer.