Spruce Head,Maine New Painting In February



The start of the Mill Cove painting.

I  often get questions on how I work....and I must admit working in oil on a copper panel is very different than working in casein on board. For one thing the oil on copper goes on slippery and slick. Casein on a toned board or paper goes down gritty and matte. The difference between the two is one of the major reasons I enjoy them both.

With the oil I start with a full color block-in which leaves me with a sort of abstract image. Once I have established the composition I go in to the "embellishment" ....deciding what I want to detail and what I can leave out.I don't want too much detail.I personally prefer less detail, more nuance, and that is the song I want to sing. The oil I just finished is pictured here, in this blog post, in the beginning stage and then as the finished work. I think you can get an idea of how I went with it.

I do use the same color palette with oil as I do with my casein work. My watercolor work is a whole different palette and is approached from a complete different direction. But that is another story!

I am having fun with my oil on copper while doing these past small Maine landscapes. I plan on doing 2 more, but the next 2 will be more inland scenes,not costal. But they are all what I love about Maine! We love living here.

"Mill Cove-Spruce Head,Maine"      Oil on copper      6x6"   ©2012 kathipeters.com