Red Sarong
11.6 x 12
While my old stand by medium is 50/50 oil and OMS, I have taken frequent forays into the world of alkyds in the form of Liquin, Neo Megilp and Galkyd. This painting, however, used a modern version of an ancient medium: wax.
I used Dorland's cold wax medium throughout the painting as my reading suggested that it should not just be used in one part of the piece. As well, I painted on a rigid support to avoid cracking from the thicker, harder paint body. This is on linen mounted on birch.
While the original wax medium in old master's paintings would have been beeswax, Dorland's is, a mixture of beeswax, several other waxes, and resin. It's quick dry, thanks to the resin, but, unlike most resin products, it doesn't smell. As always, it's probably adding some to my indoor pollution, but I didn't have any tell-tale dizziness after using it, so that's a plus!
My jar of Dorland's is pretty old (5+years) and I'm sure it must have undergone some changes along the way. Still, it's not discoloured and moves pretty well, so I'm thinking it's similar to when I bought it. But unlike the soft and somewhat creamy movement that Gamblin cold wax gives to paint (very much like a lead-free version of Old Master's Italian Wax), Dorland's gives a stiff, short mark. Even with just a tiny bit added into my paint mixtures, it seems to stop the stroke dead when it touches the board. It's a very interesting phenomenon. Over the span of a larger painting, I know I'd get tired of this slow accretion of paint, and would liberally use a palette knife, but it was a lot of fun on such a small piece. It gave me texture without imparting a crusty look that I truly dislike in oil paintings. There's a nice sense of atmosphere in the figure's environment that I can't imagine getting from such a thick application of paint with other mediums.
Wax paintings are naturally matte and, to my knowledge, you can't varnish them. They have an almost fresco-like quality that's different and quite appealing. I think they'd be superb for landscapes as a way to suggest depth and air. I'll try that next.
Happy painting!
