Glass Jar with Rag

Glass Jar with Rag
6"x6" Oil on Canvas Panel
SOLD

The final brush stroke was laid down a few days ago but it took me until today to get a decent photo.  I have to say that I am really happy with how this one turned out. A few early mistakes with my color mixes required some extra time adjusting the initial layers.  All total I put 38 hours into this piece. Most of which was spent on the rag.

Recently, I have been experimenting with new mediums, and for this piece I decided to give M. Graham Walnut Alkyd Medium a try. Glad I did, because it is exactly what I have been looking for. Up until this point I have tried Liquin, Galkyd, Neo Megilp and even a more traditional stand oil recipe. All which have had qualities I liked. Liquin is actually my typical go to medium, but might soon be taking a back seat to the walnut alkyd medium. What I really like about the M. Graham's is that it doesn't contain any solvents so the odor is pretty much non existent.  My son Taylor will occasionally play in my studio while I paint, so I want to keep the environment as non-toxic as possible. Also, the walnut alkyd medium has a slightly slower drying rate so it stays open through out the entire painting session, but is dry within a day and a half. The main issue that I have had with Galkyd and Neo Megilp is that they start to tack up within a few hours of painting, preventing me from painting into what should be wet layers. I've read on Gamblin's site that you can add a little poppy oil to the Galkyd to slow down the drying time, but haven't had a chance to experiment. Finally, I really enjoy the lower viscosity of the M. Graham's. It allows me to more easily paint complex passages without a lot of drag on the brush. At this point it is to early to say whether or not I will switch to solely using the walnut alkyds, but I am definitely leaning in that direction.