Greetings, you are receiving this newsletter because you are registered for our Artist Round Table Bi-Monthly Zoom Sessions. We will be sending a follow-up newsletter like this after each session to highlight the key points discussed during the roundtable. We hope that you had a spook-tacular Halloween and had as much fun as the ghost who has been haunting your house!
First, we would like to welcome two new members to our Artist Round Table: Lynne Bernbaum and Alexandra Smith. Lynne’s Bernbaum artwork can be found worldwide. Originally from Dallas, she lives in and operates her gallery on the island of Anguilla in the Caribbean. Alexandra Smith was born in Amsterdam, The Netherlands; her family relocated to Manhattan Beach, California, when she was three years old. A side trip to Figueras, Spain, cemented her path to the arts as she stood in front of the Salvador Dali Museum.
WELCOME LADIES!
Congratulations to Shawna Lampi-Legaree on the successful virtual opening of her show Changing Seasons. If you missed it, you could find it HERE.
Using Oil paint with an Airbrush?
Artist Jamie Lindholm brought up an interesting question regarding the use of oil paints with an airbrush. I had not heard of this before so I reached out to airbrush legend Dru Blair to see how feasible it was. Here’s what Dru had to say:
“Yes, it is possible to run oil paint through an airbrush if the viscosity could be adjusted to a consistency similar to heavy cream. However, since the airbrush atomizes paint, some of the oil would be introduced into the air in the form of microscopic droplets, creating a bit of a breathing hazard, unless precautions were taken. The overspray from an airbrush can linger in the air for hours. Oil painters that use an airbrush usually spray a high-flow (or water-reduced) acrylic on their canvas first, then apply oil paint on top of the acrylic.”
In addition, I reached out to the artists on George O’Hanlon’s Painting Best Practices page to see if anyone had any insights as to how the atomized application of oil paint may affect the paint film. While most of the feedback comments were in regard to the dangers of airborne materials, artist Trevor Wade Thomas shared this about the strength of the resulting paint film, “Solvent leeches the polymer chains of oil out of the material, so it has fewer opportunities to bond and becomes a weaker film. Over time having solvent in your paint film shrinks the mass of the film, and the paint layer quite literally becomes thinner. Perhaps a leaner oil could also be incorporated, but it then creates the risk of the paint film becoming much too oily. The only way to get it successfully through an airbrush or atomizer is to greatly reduce the pigment volume. I have seen artists like Daniel Sprick flick paint using a stiff toothbrush and his finger, which could perhaps create a similar effect to some of the possibilities of an airbrush. All of that is to say, I’m not sure there is any cost-benefit to successfully making an airbrush work. It’s almost certainly best practices to find an alternative method for such effects.”
I hope that this helps!
- Anthony
Books mentioned this week:
The Art Instinct: Beauty, Pleasure, and Human Evolution by Denis Dutton
The Creative Spark: How Imagination Made Humans Exceptional by Agustín Fuentes
Ted Talk mentioned this week:
A Darwinian theory of beauty by Denis Dutton
Regarding the Winsor & Newton Sceptre Gold Brushes. Below are a few locations you can find these brushes at a cheaper price, or buy them in bulk.
www.dickblick.com
www.jacksonsart.com
www.utrechtart.com
www.misterart.com
Regarding the discussed move of the RJD Gallery, please follow the LINK. Here is the article that Debra and Anthony were reading from Gallery Owner Richard J. Demato Pulls Up Stakes And Leaves East End.
Congratulation to Natalie Featherston! Her solo show - FAUX SHO: Trompe L’Oeil Double Visions at Meyer Gallery, sold out! Lots of red dots for Natalie!
Congratulations to Deborah Kommalan! An enlarged reproduction of her painting Pens and Pencils is now part of the permanent collection at Baltimore Washington International Airport. The size of the original painting is 11x14 inches; the reproduction is 8x8 feet!
Happy Birthday to Laurie Szilvagyi and Tuba Sozudogru! May the year forward bring significant and positive changes to your life!
You guys are really into makeup 
A handy tool for cleaning your brushes is a Silicone Makeup Brush Cleaner/Agitator. The cleaner comes in a variety of shapes: sink mat, handheld, finger held, etc.
Thank you, Deborah Kommalan, for sharing her brush drying gadgets (see the image below). Deborah mentioned that you could find some of this at the Five Below Store, or below are links to the items she is using.
Silicone Foldable Makeup Brush Cleaning Bowl
Makeup Brush Organizer, 15 Slots Makeup Tools Holder for Brushes
Silicone Makeup Brush Drying Rack Make up Brush Holder Organizer
Silicone Makeup Brush Holder Stand
In between our bi-weekly Artist Round Table Sessions feel free to come and join the discussions on Smartermarx.