DRAWINGS & PAINTINGS: November Edition

Reece Bell
1 day ago
3 min read

A Note From Harry - November Works

I’ve made a big decision this month. Using Lead white has been almost an article of faith in the tradition of Western painting, not only for myself but for many other artists. There are advantages to using it, mainly for me in the handling and slight transparency which makes the softness in the development of skin tones so enjoyable and effective. The health hazards have never put me off, you actually have to eat the stuff to do any damage, and you must remember to keep it away from your kids.

When I started out in the Sixties I used Titanium white and Zinc white, as did most of my contemporaries because of their covering power in the case of Titanium and transparency in Zinc often with acrylic binder. Then, (I was in my early thirties) I read a book by Max Doerner called Materials of the Artist, which is not so much a compilation as a love song to painting and it’s tradition in the West. His love of that tradition and the art that comprised it, and his relishment of the materials used by the masters, particularly Lead white, was so persuasive that I started using the stuff exclusively, and studying old master techniques and copying them in museums (you could do that then).

For a number of years, I used only lead. Zinc as a separate colour was less useful so I stopped using it. It was an admixture in many of the proprietary whites anyway. But titanium has its qualities too, and gradually they began to insert themselves into my paintings until I was using it separately and mixed in most paintings. Titanium for sharp, solid and detail, Lead for soft and atmospheric passages.

Until this month. I want to stop worrying about not using lead and being disloyal to the greats (and Max). My paintings from fifty years ago show that Titanium has held up as well as Lead, I use glazes so the colour is not such an issue, and all the effects that I’m seeking I can now achieve using Titanium and the lead white substitutes available.

Here's some images of what I'm working on

What I’ve also been doing this month is drawing rather more than usual. I should point out that most of the drawing I’m talking about here is life drawing in the studio - meaning smaller and usually for a half-hour session, and occasionally a two-hour sitting for more veracity and detail. I haven’t used graphite pencil much for a number of years for a number of reasons. For instance it never gets very black, doing large areas of shade on larger drawings is very laborious , it is reflective, giving a shine when against the light and it feels slippery, having no drag on the paper, and no colour. I know there are pencils that tackle some of these problems, but it seemed that using alternatives such as charcoal

and oil crayon handled them better.

Oil crayon has been my favourite for a while now, Cretacolour Nero in particular. I always carried on with graphite for sketchbook work because it was convenient to use clutch pencils etc.

However, I came across an old drawing that I found attractive and decided to use Graphite again

And I really enjoyed using it especially with the matte and darker versions I never really tried before. Here's the results of the only life session I’ve had so far, all graphite:

Drawings for sale soon

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be releasing a selection of drawings for collectors . studies, sketches and works that reveal the progress of ideas.

More details will follow shortly.

For all enquiries, contact me.

Contact Harry Here

Studio Insight

One of the things about my studio practice (or is it just me?) is that I can’t leave things alone if they’re hanging around. This happened with a painting that I was about to mark as finished. When I started wondering what it would look like with a darker background and a bit more definition. So I did that and now I’m wondering if it’s any better but I can’t go back because it's dry. Or is there no real difference? And I was fussing over nothing.

If you have an opinion I’d like to know.

Looking Ahead

The run-up to Christmas doesn’t make much difference to me, I have to finish my card and get it out, my wife usually handles addressing and posting but she’s not up to it this year so I’ve got to do that. There are a couple of charity auctions I’ve contributed to, several gallery Christmas shows I’m in. But mostly it's the same old grind, thank goodness, painting and drawing.

Here’s a few things I have on the go: