One day, in painting, during my studies, being in the first year, I painted another still life from nature with oil paints. Of course, by that time, we - the students have already studied the course of painting technology, learned the table of mixing paints and their light resistance, learned to prepare themselves “tee” (a composition of three components: varnish, thinner, oil for correct dilution of oil paints to a liquid state) and strictly, consistently dried paint layers before starting another painting session. But, mistakes happen at all. In order to save the diluent (for some reason, pinene was less than required), I added to the “tee” more varnish and even more oil. We, students, used, basically, the settled and bleached sunflower oil, instead of linen which at the end of the nineties - the beginning of two thousandth years still was difficult to get in the small provincial town in the North of Sverdlovsk region (Russia).
The process was under way, as usual, but even by the end of the 4-hour session, the parts of the work covered with glazes did not begin to dry up. The work remained at the same drying stage and after a day, and three days, and even a week or two. The paint layer was sticky, dust and pieces of small debris stuck to it, the brush did not slide on the surface of the canvas, and I with great difficulty applied the upper layers, carefully, so as not to damage the lower ones. The work was spectacular, transparent in the shadows, in the spirit of” small Dutch", but to dry and fix the paint on the canvas was not possible.
In such state it was also taken away in fund as a sample of the successful solution of a classical light-and-shade still life. There passed 4 years. Before a thesis defense I collected visual working material for an illustration of the first scientific work and for this purpose went to share storage, in hope to photograph a solid part of the educational pictorial works. Here then I also met the "Dutch" still life. During this time nothing changed - it had still no time for the end dried out. Paint still remained places a little sticky. Of course, it created some difficulties in storage to transportation and an exposition of this my work.
Why so occurred? Everything is simple: it is not necessary to invent the bicycle and to make changes to technology of conducting work. The drying delay mechanism (oil), mixing up with the accelerator (varnish) yielded such peculiar result. And how many was "accidents" at my fellow students at unsuccessful mixing of different color pigments! Are especially artful in this question краплак which always comes to a surface through all paint layers, kind of did not block it atop; ultramarines which blackens when drying in mix with some pigments; strontsianovy yellow which turns green in mixes with green and blue paints over time. And fight against "withering" at incorrect primer and gluing of a canvas or at paint cultivation by one thinner! And rather dirty batches and tons of the oil exhausted for nothing in a pursuit of realness of nature! And cracking (craquelures) of a paint layer at the wrong storage (blows, temperature differences, humidity) …
A priori oil painting the most interesting, demanded and durable, but in any rule is exceptions. That it is really serious to be engaged in painting, with the purpose to receive result (theoretical and practical) from occupations, it is necessary to study technology of oil by all means. Painting - first of all, conscious work. And here the laws, neglect with which it is fraught. Therefore, I always speak to pupils: "It is necessary to grow to oil", and already then it is worth grabbing materials and tools (on it, by the way, all our courses and master classes are constructed). Only this way you take the greatest pleasure from the process and qualitative result which will please you for many years.
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