by Bev Dunstan
Heather Jolliffe presented a ‘Working with Oils’ Workshop on 9th September, which was great fun.
Heather began the day patiently explaining the different types of palette knives available for the artist and how to use them to make marvellous marks with oil paint; complete with a comprehensive array of examples to see. She continued with a thorough tutorial on the different types of oil paints, including water and oil based versions followed by an in-depth description on what surfaces to use and how to prepare them. Heather then provided the group with her first demonstration using water based oil on a prepared ground base board.
The members then tried out the techniques for themselves and what an amazing paint medium to use! Smooth as cottage cream that oozed under the knife, the paint stayed workable as it was manipulated over the surface of the board. The brushes stayed in the box as the palette knife became more familiar in the hand and the magic happened as the paintings came to life.
Heather completed her second demonstration after lunch and then we set about our own masterpieces of seascapes and landscapes.
Ultimately everyone agreed that the biggest disadvantage was the drying time particularly for the artists that favoured Acrylic paint. Nonetheless, the workshop proved a wonderful opportunity to discover the fantastic properties that oil painting provides the artist, if only they were patient enough to wait!
