Our originally scheduled demonstrator for October
10 meeting was Deb Friedman, color pencil artist. Since
the association did not have access to power point equipment, we were unable to
accommodate Ms. Friedman’s power point based presentation.
Fortunately,
our own Kim Morin Weineck was able step up at the last minute to provide an
entertaining and educational presentation.
While possessing a talent for watercolors, when asked if she had a
preferred medium Kim claimed oil paints and pastels. Her humble admission of moving between the
two mediums when she feels “stuck” got quite a few knowing chuckles. For our
October meeting, Kim introduced us to the hybrid: using pastels on an oil
underpainting.
Before
she began, Kim recommended that the paper be pre-mounted on acid free foam
core. This step helps by not only
providing a more stable “canvas” for the artist but also makes it an easier
piece for the framer to manage. Mrs.
Weineck then demonstrated creating the oil underpainting from scratch. As she painted, one association member asked
if she always used a reference photo, or worked right out of her head. Kim immediately waved her hands and replied,
“Oh! I never do it out of my head! I
have such bad imagination!” While this
statement got quite a few laughs, it was surprising since her finished pieces
show such beauty, talent and creativity.
The reference photo itself became another part of the night’s lesson.
Kim, an artist as well as instructor, admitted it likely in the past that she’d
recommend always using a high quality reference photo. However, we all know rules were meant to be
broken! For this demonstration Kim used a “lousy” reference photo with typical
“errors” like poor lighting, low resolution, and cheap paper. She said she
found that this actually helped her more, since it forced her “to be more
creative, to take more risks”.
Mrs. Weineck provided numerous tips including
diluting the oil paint with thinner.
This helps it to dry faster and can also create interesting effects as
the paint runs and blends. However, we were reminded that the more thinner we
use, the runnier –and therefore messier – the paint can become. This technique could create wonderful
results…or it can go horribly wrong!
Kim finished
her oil underpainting in time for intermission, allowing members to come up
close to view and discuss. After the break, Kim continued with
pastel sticks on a “pre-baked” oil underpainting she had prepared ahead of time
in order to have a dry base for the pastels.
Kim provided numerous helpful tips as she worked the various colors onto
the painting in small, slashing, or broad strokes:
*Wearing
disposable rubber gloves while working with pastels will keep hands clean.
*Using an alcohol based fixative helps keep the
pastels from “dusting” or flaking
*While any alcohol will work, including vodka and
gin, don’t waste “the good stuff” on fixative.
*Always test said fixative on scrap paper, not the
work in progress, to see how it affects the color and consistency of the
pastels.
A sincere thanks to Kim Weineck for her amusing,
clever, and informative demonstration. Her last minute save turned into quite a
delight for us. It is easy to see why
her classes and art have such a loyal following!
Kim
Morin Weineck, artist and instructor, is the founder of Neponset Valley
Artists. Mrs. Weineck is a member of the
Foxboro Art Association, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, and the Marion Art
Center. She is also a Juried Member of the
Pastel Society of America. You can visit her website: http://kimmorinweineck.blogspot.com
to find more information about Kim, including classes she offers and artwork
for sale.
(Thanks to Meredith Whalen for this article.)
No comments:
Post a Comment