Oil Paint Without Solvents

Oil Paint Without Solvents

I love the way oil paints handle and the depth of the color, but I am very sensitive to mineral spirits and mediums so I was thrilled to realize I can use oil paints without any solvents.  

Murphy oil is actually an excellent brush cleaner.  Just mix it with water in equal parts.  It is good for your brushes, too.  Just don't let bristle brushes stay in it for any length of time.  Wash and dry them when you are finished.  Synthetic brushes can stay overnight without any damage but the bristle brushes would absorb the water.

Waxed Paper that I buy at the grocery is fantastic for cutting down on clean up time.  I cover my palette with waxed paper.  I also store the unused paint on a strip of waxed paper, fold it up and insert it into a plastic bag, and store in the freezer.  My unused paint will stay fresh for a week this way.  I just made a trip to Ohio and when I got back, I got the paints out land started painting.  They were just as fresh as when I put them in a week earlier.

Sunshine on the Creek

Create more interesting color in a summer green landscape by letting the eye mix the colors.  If all you see is a sea of green allow the eye to mix the colors rather than get out a tube of green paint and add white to lighten it and black to darken it.  Take advantage of the blues and purples in the shadows and the oranges and yellows in the light to bring interest to the scene.  The green areas can range from light yellow green to dark blue green.  

"Sunshine on the Creek"

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/charlotte-fitzgerald/sunshine-on-the-creek/758854

The dappled light coming through the trees creates interesting patterns in the water.

Birch Trees

"Birch Trees"

Oil on archival gessoboard  - 6x6 in

https://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/charlotte-fitzgerald/birch-trees/756726

The light colored bark on these trees ceate an interesting patterrn with the lights on the water.

Knife Painting

https://youtu.be/KvoYkRE0co4

The above link shows some of the knife painting I did on this painting.  The painting itself is a 6X6 oil available at Dailypaintworks.

I took the reference photo in New Bern, NC.  This shows the block in stage of the painting.

Geranium Painting

The bottom photo shows how I started to lay out the composition of this painting with transparent colors indian yellow permanent rose and ultramarine.  I applied the colors very loosely and then went over them with thicker paint as I developed the composition.

Sunflower Tutorial

https://gumroad.com/l/qNXQs
Follow the link for my step by step 33 minute tutorial plus Oil Paint Without Solvents.