Sunday, January 31, 2010

Mixed Alphabet and Disney Minnie Mouse Blocks

Mixed group of alphabet blocks and Disney Minnie Mouse
6” x 8” acrylic on gessoed board unframed $175 with free shipping in US and Canada
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SOLD
This still life was set up on my painting taboret that has a glass top for mixing paint, so it shows the reflection of the blocks in the glass.

This painting is a mix of alphabet blocks and a Disney Minnie Mouse block. The alphabet blocks are a set that I’ve had from childhood and I think they were made by Halsam Company of Chicago, Illinois. A larger set of the same blocks were produced earlier by The Embossing Company of Albany, New York which was later purchased by Halsam so I’m not sure which company actually produced this set. I don’t have the box that these blocks were packaged in so it’s not clear who actually made them. If anyone has more information about these it would be interesting to learn more. The Disney blocks I’ve discussed earlier and I have more documentation for them.

©Copyright 2010 by Paul Wolber
All Rights Reserved

Monday, January 25, 2010

Bald Eagle: National Emblem of the United States

Bald Eagle in Yellowstone National Park
SOLD
8" x 6" (20.3 cm X 15.2 cm) acrylic on gesso primed board
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This is my view the Bald Eagle we saw in West Yellowstone in September. He was sitting in a tree on the north side of the road as we were driving to the west exit of Yellowstone. I got a couple of good shots and the next morning when we were heading back into the park there were two eagles in the tree nearer the road. I couldn’t get a good shot because of they were partly obscured by branches of the trees but I did get a good view of the head of the older eagle.

Since then I’ve been doing some study of the anatomy of the eagle so I’d have a good idea what I was seeing. Working from the photos I took and my sketches of eagle anatomy, this painting is a close-up interpretation of what I saw. Here I’ve tried to capture the regal and powerful qualities of this magnificent bird, the national emblem of the United States and while the Bald Eagle is unique to North America, eagles have been a symbol of power for thousands of years.

© Copyright 2010 by Paul Wolber
All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Valentine Rose: A Painting of a Red Rose


A Valentine Red Rose
5” x 7” (12.7cm x 17.8cm) acrylic on hand primed board unframed $125 with free shipping in USA and Canada.
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The name rose almost implies red and colors such as “rose madder” are indeed red. Red roses are the symbol of romantic love thus becoming the appropriate color for a Valentine gift to someone we love. This one was painted from a bouquet of roses given as a birthday gift but is even more fitting for Valentines Day.

© Copyright 2010 by Paul Wolber
All Rights Reserved


Thursday, January 14, 2010

Mickey and Minnie: Disney Blocks


Mickey and Minnie Mouse Blocks: Antique Toy Blocks
6” x 8” acrylic on gessoed board unframed $175 with free shipping in US and Canada
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These are two blocks from the Disney toy blocks set made in the 1930’s. I’ve painted them here in great detail as they might have looked when they were new. The wooden blocks came in sets usually of 24 and included Walt Disney characters with alphabet letters and picture/word objects such as the bicycle shown in this painting. Wooden alphabet blocks were first made in the USA by The Embossing Company of Albany, New York, but I think the Disney blocks were made later by Halsam Company of Chicago, Illinois that bought out The Embossing Company. For those old-timers who remember these blocks from childhood they have special memories but looking at them today they have a kind of classic quality of shapes and colors that symbolize that long ago period of time.

© Copyright 2010 by Paul Wolber
All Rights Reserved

Friday, January 8, 2010

Berries in Woven Basket

Berries in Woven Basket
6” x 8” acrylic on gessoed board unframed $175 with free shipping in US and Canada
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This painting was begun last summer and I've just got back to finish it. Maybe it's appropriate now since it brings back the feeling of those warm summer days. Since this is another acrylic painting, below I've included an article on why I prefer to paint in acrylic. I thought some might be interested in this idea since some of you have ask this question.

WHY I PREFER ACRYLIC POLYMER PAINTS OVER OIL by Paul Wolber

I have been using acrylic paints for over forty years and personally continue to prefer them to oil. The following are some of my thoughts about the reasons for this. As a professor of art and a painter for over 45 years I have used and taught oil painting to hundreds, if not thousands of students. When introducing students to painting I prefer to begin with oils. The reason is simple. Oil paints are easier to use when trying to understand methods of mixing and applying glazes or layering of paint. Students can gain an understanding of the painting process more quickly with oil than with other mediums.

As a beginning student studying painting I learned the traditional Dutch Masters method of applying white lead to canvas to create the ground for oil painting used by Renaissance and Baroque artists such as Michaelangelo and Rembrandt in the classical tradition. To reach the highest level of painterly ability with oil it is necessary to follow the Dutch Masters method of using a white lead ground. The caveat is white lead is a toxic substance. We’ve all heard of problems children have had from contact with lead paint but we now know that many artists from the Classical period of art history had severe physical problems caused by exposure to white lead used in their paint. You can read more about these dangers here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning. Rather than deal with the dangers of white lead, I long ago made the decision to use acrylic polymer as the ground for my paintings. Even when teaching students to use oil paint I don’t teach them to prepare canvas with a white lead ground, rather the canvas is prepared with a 100% acrylic polymer gesso. Most commercially prepared canvas today is made with a polymer gesso ground and in some places white lead is now banned from use because of its toxicity.

Many artists who argue that oil paint is the classical medium of choice superior to others now paint on canvas or board that is prepared with an polymer gesso without realizing that their argument is invalidated by the fact that a painting is only as good as the ground it is painted on. If one paints with oil on a polymer ground the painting takes on at least some of the qualities of the polymer base. The only way to have a true oil painting in the classical tradition is to use a white lead ground with all the toxic hazards that entails and some artists today choose to use this method. The choice then is between a toxic white lead support and a polymer-based ground or some other type of ground.

The final question for me is whether oil paint is a superior medium to use over acrylic polymer paint regardless of the ground. I agree that oil is an easier medium to learn. Whether it will last longer or has superior overall qualities is a matter of opinion and is often based on emotional rather than factual data. Acrylic paints do present a challenge to learn and this is why I have painting students begin with oils. Acrylics have some advantages such as the smoothness of surface, quick drying and coverage abilities, brilliance in some hues that are much more difficult in oil and the avoidance of muddy or dirty paint mixing quality of oil caused by slow drying process of oils. Acrylic paint is more difficult to mix matching colors because they dry darker than when wet and this takes some getting used to. It is however possible to master this medium with time and experience and many professional artists have told me I am able to get more out of acrylic paint than any artist they know.

Acrylic paints can rival or match most or all of what is possible in oil and have some good qualities of their own but using them requires experience, understanding of both mediums and a good understanding of traditional techniques and methods of painting, so they may not be for everyone. My argument is with those who insist that oil is the only true classical medium to use. It’s a bit like arguing that beef is the only true energy food and because I want to stay healthy and live long I try to avoid too much of it. If I were to paint with oil professionally I’d want to use a white lead ground and for those who argue for oil I believe that unless they use white lead as the Dutch Masters did, it is not the true classical medium it is made out to be. The fact that white lead is a poisonous material is a persuasive argument that artists need to adapt. Materials such as titanium have been substituted for lead in white oil paint but that also can be used in acrylic paint. To be consistent I’ve chosen to move to acrylic paint as my medium of choice for what I consider ethical reasons and environmental safety concerns and I’ve been happy with the choice over the years. Today there are many very good artists who use acrylic with a high degree of success and are demonstrating the creative possibilities of this medium.             

© Copyright 2010 by Paul Wolber
All Rights Reserved