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Drop Cloth Since many of my classes are held in private homes it may be necessary for you to provide something to put under your work station. This does not need to be very large, but needs to be large enough to take a palette dump, or turpentine splash. I like the new “Neat Sheet” which I found in the picnic section of my supermarket. It is fairly large but could be cut or folded, or used under two students. It can be put in the washing machine. Hardware stores and Paint stores will have many choices of drop cloths from canvas to plastic, but be aware that plastic drop cloths are very slippery and can be dangerous in a class setting. A good choice is a paper fiber cloth with plastic on one side. Liquids won’t penetrate it.
Table and Chairs The goal is to be comfortable. Bending over, reaching, and other contortions will cause you and your painting to be pained, and will lead to great fatigue. Small folding snack tables work well for holding a palette and turpentine jar. If you are going to stand at your easel, you will have to improvise a way to hold your palette, an arm palette is good with a thumb hole, or a stool to set your palette on is also a good idea. A snack table with an overturned box will bring your palette within easy reach if you are standing. French easels have a drawer that you can pull out to put palette on, but I find they are wobbly and prefer a small table at my side. Bending at the waist every time you want to load your brush will exhaust you. A lightweight plastic resin deck chair is good to bring, if you can fit it in your car. Other types of folding chairs should be tested for comfort, before the class. If you just bought a new easel, and want to sit at your work, check out the table and chair to see if they are the correct height and allow you to paint with your hands free, and your body relaxed.
Lamps We may need to provide extra lighting for a night class, or even one during the day if the room is dark or the sky overcast. In this case, a clip on light, available from hardware stores will do nicely. Special daylight balanced bulbs are available from stores like Home Depot and art stores and catalogs. I like Varilux or Chromalux bulbs.
Your own Still life I do not advocate students work from photographs. To begin with the photograph is often copyright protected if it has been taken from calendars, post cards, or magazines. Then the next problem is that it is very difficult to see nuances of values in a photograph. And lastly it is difficult for me to see what you are seeing when you work from a photograph. Work from life! Start with simple fruits, vegetables, a cloth or drapery makes the whole thing flow. Add a book, some spectacles, a treasured little sculpture or vase. Put in a pot of African Violets, a string of pearls, a pair of fancy dress shoes, a plate of sliced tomatoes. The list is endless! Make it simple and add a lot of color. Or, if you prefer, use my set ups, which I bring to all my classes, a bag of fruits and vegetables, a bin full of “stuff” that makes for colorful and exciting paintings and a bag of drapery and cloths. |
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TAMPA AREA STORES
AOE 12908 N. 56th Street (Temple Terrace), Tampa, FL 813 989-0302 Excellent art store with most everything for both amateur and professional painters.
PEARL PAINT 3916 Hillsborough Ave, Tampa FL 813 354-8555 National Chain of art supplies at discounted prices
MICHAELS (various locations) Michaels carries some good brands of paint, canvas, brushes, Turpenoid, palettes and charcoal. Be sure you are buying name brands of paint. You are better off buying individual tubes of oil paint, not sets.
HOUSE OF CRAFTS AND STUFF 5157 Gall Blvd., Zephyrhills, FL 813 782-0223. Not geared to the professional painter but a good place for finding some supplies locally. They have a great selection of inexpensive ready made frames for paintings.
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CATALOGS AND INTERNET
AOE also has online ordering and shipping. www.aoeartworld.com
Utrecht has a catalog 1-800-223-9132 and a website www.utrechtart.com many fine products here and Utrecht brushes are cheap and fine.
Daniel Smith catalog 1-800-426-6740: website www.danielsmith.com Although located in Seattle, Washington, Daniel Smith’s catalogs are very good reading, and they ship fast. For those who don’t want to go shopping you can get everything here. Also a good source for some more esoteric supplies like powdered pigments.
Cheap Joe’s catalog 1-800-227-2788 website www.cheapjoes.com Good source of stuff—catalog is amusing. Prices excellent. Shipping fast. Many items are backordered. Best to check with them by phone to make sure what you want is in stock.
Dick Blick - catalog 1-800-828-4548 website www.dickblick.com Reputable source of supplies, catalog is great reference for supplies, and some items are very nicely priced, although not all. Not too fast on shipping.
Pearl Paint - catalog 1-800-451-Pearl website www.pearlpaint.com One of the best. Their New York store, on Canal Street is an adventure not to be missed! Big catalog, prices good, shipping OK. Stores are in many cities in the US.
Rex Art a Miami based art company with website at www.rexart.com Excellent prices, shipping and customer relations.
Jerry’s Artarama 1-800-827-8478. One of the biggest and best discount art suppliers. www.jerrysartarama.com |
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SOURCES AND SUPPLIERS |
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PROFILE | CLASSES | HOME | CONTACT ME | BRACKMAN | LINKS | EVENTS Portraits • Landscapes • Symbolic Still Life • Still Life • Monotype • Watercolor • Egg Tempera • Feeling Series • Student’s Gallery • Drawing • Giclee Prints • Digital Reproduction • Purchase Paintings |
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PROFILE | CLASSES | HOME | CONTACT ME | BRACKMAN | LINKS | EVENTS Portraits • Landscapes • Symbolic Still Life • Still Life • Monotype • Watercolor • Egg Tempera • Feeling Series • Student’s Gallery • Drawing • Giclee Prints • Digital Reproduction • Purchase Paintings |