January 30, 2024
Copyright © 2024 Henry Gerard Catenacci
Although I have one more drawing to finish, I’ve decided that my future work will be in oil using the old Flemish Method. To practice the technique, I am painting a small (only 5” x 5”) painting of my hand holding a flower. Here is the first layer of the Flemish Method, the “underdrawing,” in graphite. I’ll post each stage as I finish.
Un fiore (A Flower)
Oil on Panel
Work in Progress, Underdrawing (graphite on gesso)
Here is the next stage of my little oil painting in the Flemish Method. It’s called the Imprimatura (or “first paint layer”). It’s basically a thin layer of yellow ochre paint that will act as an optical base for the entire painting. Once this dries completely (about a week), I’ll go on to the next layer — the first underpainting.
Un fiore (A Flower)
Work in Progress, Imprimatura
Oil on Panel
January 29, 2024
February 4, 2024
Here I am continuing with my final pencil/gouache drawing before I go on to work strictly in oil. …
These are the faces of angels … or spirits or sylphs, or whatever you would like them to be. I had no idea how these faces would appear until I sat down to draw them, but they are intentionally androgynous. They are no one, and everyone.
I spiriti della foresta (Spirits of the Forest)
Detail of a Work in Progress
Wax Pencil and Gouache on Illustration Board
Here’s another update on my little Flemish oil painting. This is the First Underpainting — all in burnt umber, but letting a lot of the yellow ochre of the imprimatura layer show through. I’m concentrating here on the deepest shadows. Once this dries, I go on to the Second Underpainting, also in burnt umber, which will be darker and more detailed.
Un fiore (A Flower)
Work in Progress, First Underpainting
Oil on Panel
February 3, 2024
February 9, 2024
This is the Second Underpainting of my little oil in the Flemish Method, all in burnt umber again. It will add richness and depth to the shadows of the finished painting. When it dries, I add yet another underpainting over it — the Grisaille (“greyed”) layer, using black, white, and a small bit of blue.
Un fiore (A Flower)
Work in Progress, Second Underpainting
Oil on Panel
Here is the finished Grisaille layer of my little oil painting in the Flemish method. As you can see, I painted the hand slightly out-of-focus and the flower sharply in-focus. To further heighten the three-dimensional quality, I added a little impasto to the flower so that it physically projects out from the panel. (Unfortunately, this can’t be seen in a photograph of the painting.) Because of the thickness of the impasto, the painting now needs to dry for about two weeks before I can continue with the first color layer.
Un fiore (A Flower)
Work in Progress, Grisaille
Oil on Panel
February 17, 2024
February 16, 2024
I’m half finished adding the Grisaille (“grayed”) layer to this little oil painting (using black, white, and a tiny bit of Prussian blue), but you can see how the gray tones of the Grisaille over the burnt umber underpainting suddenly heighten the three-dimensional quality of the image. The burnt umber still shows through, particularly in the shadows. This half-finished stage looks so interesting that it would make a great painting just by itself! … but I’ll continue.
Un fiore (A Flower)
Work in Progress, Grisaille
Oil on Panel
OLDER POSTS
First Color layer finished. It’s still a little pale. Once this dries, the second color layer will add brighter hues in transparent glazes.
Un fiore (A Flower)
Work in Progress, First Color
Oil on Panel
March 4, 2024
I’ve added the second color layer and final details, and here is my little oil painting in the old Flemish Method, all finished.
There are nine layers altogether (including the final varnish after the painting has dried for six months). Each layer requires a one to two week drying period before the next layer can be applied.
Not surprisingly, the need for such lengthy drying times between multiple layers is one of the reasons this way of oil painting fell out of favor with most artists around two hundred years ago.
Still, I love the Flemish Method for hyperrealism. There is nothing like it, because it all has to do with the way light passes through each separate oil layer. The effect is so real and immediate that it cannot be captured in a photograph. Also, because this style of painting was used throughout the Renaissance, it has an Old World look that works well with the imagery in my paintings.
So, to get around the long wait for drying, I’m planning to work on a few paintings at the same time.
Henry Catenacci
Un fiore (A Flower), 2024
Oil on panel
5 in. x 5 in.
March 23, 2024
Here is the underdrawing for a new painting…
Il letto dei viole (Bed of Violets)
Work in Progress, Underdrawing (Graphite)
Oil on Panel
12 in. x 12 in.
March 30, 2024
