It always feels a bit odd, putting away the dry media, sweeping, mopping and pulling out the oil paints. But if you are an artist yourself, you know that these two things —pastel dust and wet oil paint— are absolutely incompatible. And so —because there is but one work room to my studio—the shift must be absolutely complete. It’s difficult to downshift after the pace of thirty-in-thirty, and yet it’s necessary to slow things down and stretch things out. I always wonder if I will be able to make a smooth transition.

But as soon as I open the turpentine, a magical thing happens. What is it, exactly, about that smell? I can’t put my finger on it, but just the slightest whiff fills me with longing and desire. It makes me want to lock the door, switch off the phone, turn the music up loud, and just paint.

Of course, the process is entirely different with oil painting. Things dry slowly, so there’s a considerable time commitment involved. Multiple paintings —usually in series— are always in progress at the same time. There are washes drying, oil bars out for sketching and secondary layers of thick paint being applied. Dry layers are being scraped, scratched and sanded back to reveal drawings or sheer, luminous under paintings. Other parts are waiting to be slapped, smacked or gently brushed into existence. It’s bound to be a wonderful, unpredictable journey…
All photos are oil paintings —on gessoed wood panel— in progress