Day one – August 12
Day nine – August 12 – 2017. Starting at 14:00
2 hours
30cm x 30cm
Alkyd oil
I’ve done a lot of research in order to find the most perfect spot for this project. I
wanted it to be reachable without using my car – due to my ecological and environmental views – though I guess I sometimes will find it necessary. I hope I will have stamina enough to keep cycling!
After hours and hours experimenting with different media, I’ve decided to use alkyd-paint from CAS in conjunction with linseed oil and turpentine to extend the drying rate, as alkyd paint dries a bit too fast on it’s own. So my first attempt here were only partly successful, while I was only using Liquin together with the paint. (Liquin and alkyd-paint has about the same drying-rate.) The nearest part therefore dried too quickly. Hence the Linseed oil and turpentine. I like a few parts of the painting where new paint pics up parts of the prepainted areas. I hope I will be able to paint much bolder and faster while continuing the project!
This first painting is painted ond mdf-board grounded with rabbit skin glue and with ocre pigmentation. 30 cm x 30 cm. I’m not convinced that this will be the final solution. It might be better to paint with bigger brushes on 40 cm x 40 cm, and perhaps also on streached and grounded paper.
I have chosen this alkyd-based media because it can withstand a shower and even freezing conditions. It also has the blending-capabilities of traditional oil-paint – while done with my modifications.
Why Forty?
It’s not possible for me to go out into the woods every Friday throughout a whole year. There will always be Fridays which are occupied with other obligations, so it cannot be fiftytwo.
In nature there seem to be a mathematical formula of certain numbers – known as the Fibonacci-numbers. You can find them in the numbers of petals on flowers, in the eyes of insects, in beehives i.e. I also found out that my squared paintings would fit nicely into this sequenze at the number of 40. In arts this is known as the Golden ratio – and are said to describe perfectly pleasing relationships. At this point I don’t know whether it will be useful for my project or not, but i find it worth a try. Perhaps it will end up as an organizing formula for the final exhibition of the paintings?!
Magne Myhren