Alkyd Painting on Location Nahiku, Path to the Sun

Painting on Location
by Donald A. Jusko
Nahiku Path to the Sun

22x30 Alkyd Painting on Poly covered wood Panel, 9-20-00, #851

Alkyd resins are polyhydric alcohol with polybasic acid.
These alkyd modified resins dry faster then natural oils.
Turpentine based "Liquin" is an alkyd resin. They mix well with normal oil paints and speed drying.
Alkyds may dry very hard so I suggest using them on panels not canvas.
Zink white would make it even harder which may be another downside.
Use lead, titanium or ceramic white. I must say I am enjoying Ceramic White by Holbine.

Here's the location. It's in Nahiku Maui. The rainy area!

This is my setup. Nothing is on the ground but the mat and table for my paint box.
Day one, One and a half hours into it.

I applied the paint with a rag, this took 1 hour.
The medium is pure alkyd oil thinned with turpentine,
it dries in 3 hours or so.

Day 2, 3 hours and just about 100% coverage.
To me, that means I'm half way finished!

Day 3, One and a half hours painting time.
This medium is working fine, but it's like stand oil, you have to keep the solvent ratio just right. 75% thinner.

Day 4, Today was the best day yet, all sun. VERY unusual here in Nahiku.

Today I worked on the shadow's blue reflected colors, the foreground on the left and right and middle ground in the middle and redefined the branches. 2.5 hours.

Working this alkyd medium is really great. It's the closest thing to my pet acrylics I have found. Really it's the best of both worlds. The top advantage is one coat of a light opaque color will cover any under color. With acrylics you must first pre-coat an area with white before you change colors because acrylics are not as dense and opaque. A disadvantage would be waiting 3 hours to over paint or glaze an area as opposed to acrylics 3 minutes.

Day 5, 1.5 hr. Indian Yellow Brown/Side
mixed with Thalo Green was a very important dark color in this very green painting.

Oppositions

Other colors mixed with this basic Thalo Green are Lead Lemon Yellow, Cad Lemon Yellow, Cad Yellow Med. Indian Yellow Golden, Cad Orange, Quinacridone Magenta, Naples Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Dioxine Purple, French Ult. Blue, Cobalt Blue Light, Turquoise Blue, Opaque Green, Permanent Green Light, Yellow Green Opaque.

Day 6, I cleaned it up last night. One more day should do it.

All right!! Finished. Can you see the changes made from day 6? It's another 2 hours work.

I made this detail to show the lightest Yellow in this painting, one I rarely use.
PY1 Blockx Barium (Baryte) Blockx 23.211.
This is a very pure cool light yellow with very little covering power. I usually use it over white or to mix a clean cool green.

I sign with my name, date and Painting Number. The perfect signing brush is a 1/2 long red sable, #1.
A rigger with a round ferrule and a flat tip.

Now what are the important color oppositions that make this painting?
Ultramarine Blue and Yellow. (dark yellow is Burnt Umber, use it for all warm dark yellows before adding Ultramarine Blue),
Thalo Blue and Cad Red,
Turquoise and Scarlet,
Thalo Green and Magenta.
YYMMMM opposite YYCCCC is probably the most common opposition in this painting, although Yellow and Ultramarine Blue is important.. The Yellow-green of the shadow highlighted objects and the purple of the reflected shadow ground color is also a good opposition.

Open a new window for the matching tube
colors of this Real Color Wheel.

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Here's the location. It's in Nahiku Maui. The rainy area! This is my setup. Nothing is on the ground but the mat and table for my paint box.	Day one, One and a half hours into it. I applied the paint with a rag, this took 1 hour. The medium is pure alkyd oil thinned with turpentine, it dries in 3 hours or so.
Day 2, 3 hours and just about 100% coverage. To me, that means I'm half way finished!	Day 3, One and a half hours painting time. This medium is working fine, but it's like stand oil, you have to keep the solvent ratio just right. 75% thinner.
Day 4, Today was the best day yet, all sun. VERY unusual here in Nahiku. Today I worked on the shadow's blue reflected colors, the foreground on the left and right and middle ground in the middle and redefined the branches. 2.5 hours. Working this alkyd medium is really great. It's the closest thing to my pet acrylics I have found. Really it's the best of both worlds. The top advantage is one coat of a light opaque color will cover any under color. With acrylics you must first pre-coat an area with white before you change colors because acrylics are not as dense and opaque. A disadvantage would be waiting 3 hours to over paint or glaze an area as opposed to acrylics 3 minutes.	Day 5, 1.5 hr. Indian Yellow Brown/Side mixed with Thalo Green was a very important dark color in this very green painting. Oppositions Other colors mixed with this basic Thalo Green are Lead Lemon Yellow, Cad Lemon Yellow, Cad Yellow Med. Indian Yellow Golden, Cad Orange, Quinacridone Magenta, Naples Yellow, Burnt Sienna, Dioxine Purple, French Ult. Blue, Cobalt Blue Light, Turquoise Blue, Opaque Green, Permanent Green Light, Yellow Green Opaque.
Day 6, I cleaned it up last night. One more day should do it.	All right!! Finished. Can you see the changes made from day 6? It's another 2 hours work.
I made this detail to show the lightest Yellow in this painting, one I rarely use. PY1 Blockx Barium (Baryte) Blockx 23.211. This is a very pure cool light yellow with very little covering power. I usually use it over white or to mix a clean cool green.	I sign with my name, date and Painting Number. The perfect signing brush is a 1/2 long red sable, #1. A rigger with a round ferrule and a flat tip.
Now what are the important color oppositions that make this painting? Ultramarine Blue and Yellow. (dark yellow is Burnt Umber, use it for all warm dark yellows before adding Ultramarine Blue), Thalo Blue and Cad Red, Turquoise and Scarlet, Thalo Green and Magenta. YYMMMM opposite YYCCCC is probably the most common opposition in this painting, although Yellow and Ultramarine Blue is important.. The Yellow-green of the shadow highlighted objects and the purple of the reflected shadow ground color is also a good opposition.	Open a new window for the matching tube colors of this Real Color Wheel.