I endeavor to keep a level of quality for all of the works I create. When I make a painting, it doesn't only start with the paint. It starts in a dumpster most of the time. An old pallet, a scrap of wood, something that would otherwise rot in a landfill. I create my panels, one step at a time, from milling the wood, trimming the panel, applying canvas, making the gesso... each painting is made by hand - totally!

For me, it is also a matter of feeling good about recycling waste; so much wood, plywood, 2x4s and all kinds of things are thrown away to dumpsters. I literally make art from garbage. I use scraps of plywood for panels. I make scrap 2x4s into cradles. I have even taken roadside old furniture and cannibalized it for panels and wood. Really great wood, too, like oak, walnut, and ashe, hardwoods that are $30-$40 per linear board foot! It does take time and a little knowhow, but I feel rewarded for my efforts.

Making scraps work is a matter of knowing how to turn a slightly bad piece of wood into a usable and stable piece. It does take some workshop tools, and not everyone has the space or the money to invest in them, even if they wanted to do it. I come from a background in a workshop environment, my Grandfather ran a lumber mill, my Great Uncle was an architect and owned his own workshop, my father was an engineer and had his own workshop. I grew up knowing how to use a table saw, band saw, drill press, joiners, planers and routers... things most people aren't even exposed to until they can afford them.

Making the panel is but the first step, next is to prepare the painting surface and make it a proper ground for oil paint. I cover most of my panels with fine cotton canvas. I use PVA glue to bond the canvas to the panel, and then make a PVA gesso to size the canvas. In the time honored tradition of the Masters, gesso is a mixture of a bonding agent (traditionally rabbit skin glue or hide glues, in my case PVA glue) whiteners such as chalk or titanium dioxide, with a thickener such as gypsum or calcium carbonite. Making the gesso myself allows me to customize the three layers of gesso applied in order to affect the final painting surface to my liking. The final product is a hard, smooth absorbent painting surface which will last for centuries.

The paint I use is artist’s grade, Natural Pigment’s Rublev, and Blue Ridge Oils. These are top rated paints and are rated in the top five best oil paint vendors of the world. This is where I spend my money, I can bypass many of the expenses of art supplies, but paint is nothing to cut corners on. Many of the colors I buy are nothing short of miracles inside a tube, and one day I hope to let them live on my canvas’ some day!

Oils and mediums are a large part of my painting process, and again, quality is a concern. When making an oil painting it is important to understand the way oils cure. When applying the paint, the oil needs to be “fatter” in each subsequent layer, otherwise the oil cracks as it cures. If this “fat over lean” rule is not observed, then cracking can occur years after the painting is finished, and can eventually destroy the piece. This is why experience and an intuitive understanding of oil chemistry is essential to making an archivally safe painting that can be enjoyed and passed down over the centuries… I have thought long and hard about how to achieve this best- many modern materials and painting aids have come into the field of oil painting- but most experts are finding that the simplicity of purely refined oils and proper painting techniques are the best route for the longevity of an oil painting. Training myself to use these techniques is more than being an artist- it enters into craftmanship, discipline, and study of the Masters.