Annika

Annika, 10x8" oil, from life, Diane Mannion

The Company of Artists

Honored to paint in the company of artist friends yesterday!  I'm blessed to live where many gather, share their skills and professional camaraderie.  We share a serious obsession and think nothing of painting all day where hours fly by like minutes!  

The intense crackling of focused brains could be heard over the scratching of pastel sticks and paint brushes.  Our fabulous model, Annika forced us to break when her timer buzzed.  During these rest periods we absorbed inspiration from the host artist's artwork that covered the walls of the studio.  

Lunchtime food and stories were shared while a few tried to resist second helpings of my Killer Key Lime Pie!  We all loved the day and promised to make studio parties a new tradition.

This was the first time I used water mixable oil paints and I'm quite surprised and pleased with them.  I purchased a set of Winsor and Newton Artisan which came with it's own linseed oil medium.  I did not use any water to paint with.  Painted on homemade gessoed panel.  The oils acted almost exactly the same as regular oils… and all without having to use Gamsol!  No harmful fumes!  Cleaned brushes with soap and water later.

My water mixable set didn't include black so I borrowed a bit of regular black oil paint and it worked well.  I've researched these paints and was glad to learn they can be used with my regular non-water mixable paints.  Using just a bit will not change the water mixable characteristic, using a lot of regular oil paint will simply turn them into regular oil paints.  They are completely compatible.