Almost Gallery Night in Milwaukee again!

July is almost over again (way too fast) and we're heading towards the summer Gallery Night and Day event here in Milwaukee. Although painting hours have not been as regular as I'd hoped they would be, I still got some new paintings done and have several in diverse states of progress.
The one on top is one that I've completed last week. It was inspired by the rolling hills of north-west Wisconsin in mid-summer, strong contrasts caused by intense sunlight were drawing my attention to this spot, plus the bright orange Hemerocallis. I like the almost over-exposed light of the grasses in front against the deep dark of the shadowy trees on top of the hill and behind.This is the first painting I completed with a, for me, new medium. In an effort to free my studio or better yet, myself, of toxic fumes (I have always been painting with rectified turpentine as a medium) I now use a mixture of Galkyd lite and odorless mineral spirits, mixed with a teaspoon of cold wax medium as a matting agent (I don't like my paintings too glossy) So far it's going all right, although the fast drying of the medium in the jar is something I have to get used to.

I always get a lot of comments on my brushes during open studio nights, how big they are, and interesting looking with their copper buses. It took me a long time to find a thick brush that really works the way I like it. Over the years I've tried many types of them but now I finally have some that are to my likings. I like a full brush with a lot of movement or flexibility, flat "Lyons" just don't do it for me, they make me feel to confined in my 'handwriting' on the canvas. For the longest time too, I did not know how to handle big brushes or a lot of paint, so it would take me hours to cover larger size canvases with small brushes. Apparently some things cannot be rushed, they just have to grow on you through long practise.
The brushes I now use are from the Spanish brand Escoda and I found them at Good's of Evanston, one of the nicest art stores I know. The brushes I use are from the 'economy' series, they make the same ones with a wooden handle, but they are a lot pricier and these work just as well. The hog hair has a lot of flexibility and gives a nice flow, I like to put my paint on in fast moving strokes, sometimes blending colors wet in wet. Unfortunately there always comes a point when the hair is worn of and the flexibility is gone and you have to work in a new brush.I always regret that as I grow very attached to my certain brushes, it's like they become a part of your hand, and will almost always work with just two or three out of a bunch because they have that nice feel and a great hand. In the pictures you can see how small the difference is between 'well working' and 'ready to retire'