Pigment Sticks and Fingertips

Too Vast To Be Contained, oil and pigment stick on canvas, 30 x 40 inches, Sharon Kingston

It would most certainly help if I had something other than my iphone camera to photograph the paintings for these blog postings (hint, hint), but I’ll go ahead even though some of the detail has been lost.  As most oil painters will attest to,  we have a love affair with our materials and specific brands of paint–I adore R&F pigment sticks.  (Dakota Art in Bellingham carries them, or you can visit the online store to order direct from R&F here)  Pigment with some linseed oil, and soft and fabulous like butter.  And, they smell fantastic.  They are like a large crayon of oil paint which allows you to draw on your surface and if you’re like me–rub with your finger.  The ultimate in finger painting. 

Because my surfaces are so precious, I only ever use the pigment sticks in the final stages of a painting–and then most often in the foreground to give that sense of mass and detail that is an important balance to the amorphousness of the rest of the painting.  This 5 inch segment at the bottom was pushed and pulled and rubbed for an entire 7 hour painting session yesterday.  It still has areas that need work, but now that I’ve laid down the pigment sticks, it’ll have to wait.  All good things have issues–and drying time is one big one with this material.  Check the pigment chart for estimated drying times.  Some of the colors will never dry…  See the previous post here for the Rilke Poem that accompanies this painting.

#abstractlandscape #paintingandpoetry #pigmentsticks #readingrilke