Inside the Lab

The edge or sides of the painting leave paint marks and drips while the painting is being made.

This can show the history and progress of the painting. The question is, do you paint over all of this after the painting is done?

Patrons will usually request that you paint over this to give a finished look. This saves on needing to get a frame for larger pieces. But so much history is lost.

What are you thoughts? Leave natural or paint the sides?

 I thought I would share some photos I took yesterday of my kids in the studio. I was teaching Max and Henry how to use oil paints and Amelia to continue her use of water based paint. After the mess we made I think it’s best that the kids only use water based paint.

The idea to use oil was started by Henry asking me about putting acrylic paint on top of oil. I thought this was a great question and challenged him to do an experiment for the “Science Fair” at his school next year. This would give enough time for his testing and drying of the oil paint.

So I decided to let him use oils for the day, it was a great time teaching some techniques and working over ideas.

“Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend are found guilty in Italy of murdering British student Meredith Kercher in 2007.”

Later this year you will be invited to a be an artist for the night. My latest painting, “Amanda Knox” will be worked on by anyone who shows up. Is she guilty or innocent? Speak your mind on the canvas! The underpainting is nearly done and now only you can help finish it in true “Back-Story Underpainting” fashion.

This Friday you can come and view the painting before she goes back into the studio for more work. Once she is done then the Ransom note will be sent out. Once this is sent there will be a countdown to the defacing of the painting if the ransom is not met. The defacing consist of letting anyone write whatever they like ontop of the painting before I add the final layers hiding the peice forever. There will be a book with photos so that the process is well documented.

Come to Urban Grind Coffeehouse (off Sandy Blvd and 22nd) 2214 NE Oregon St. Portland OR 97232, Friday Feb 5th, 5 -7 pm and see the piece before the capture and ransom begin.

I need an art flag so I can hang it on the front of the house so patrons will know when the studio is open. Does anyone have an old flag I can have, just let me know.

Just installed the new “wordpress for blackberry” app on my phone. This is the first posting from it. And it rocks so far! Next I will try creating a gallery and upload images.

Check out the Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside band.

http://opbmusic.org/performances/129-Sallie-Ford-the-Sound-Outside

Painting in progress…

First it was called the pool of galkyd and now this. To the left you can see a large waterfall that feeds into the river and an evergreen tree that is in direct relation to the Human Figure on the Cross. These two images both represent the natural and super natural.

Run a test of ten people both kids and adults. Put them in a circle and let them paint or draw for ten seconds. Then pass to your left the now paint over as much as you like, for ten seconds. Then pass to the left. Again draw what you want to ten seconds. Repeat.

Trying out this new “identi-pen” for signatures on paintings.

This painting is still in progress. It is obviously inspired by the recent BP Oil spill in the Golf of Mexico. Below you can still see the Oil Rig and the spill as well as the “burn off’s” in the distance. I would love to mix in some real oil form the spill, so if you have any or know where to get it please let me know, ASAP.

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The BLF is open to anyone who wants to transplant a bonsai tree from bondage to the open soil.  The idea came to me when I saw these Bonsai tree for sale on the side of the road up on Skyline and Cornell in Portland Oregon. I wondered if they would survive and if so what they would look like after a year or more outside of their pots.

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I added this mix of two glazes. One was a mix of gamblin gamsol, cold wax, galkyd. The second one was pure Galkyd. Both were put on very think, so that it pooled up and began to run. So I had to control the direction but tipping the canvas.

I absolutely love the way it turned out I now just need to let it dry for a few more days.

Here is a close up example of oil paint being rubbed into the texture of the painting Hudson of the Orlander Series. Notice how the darker side had full coverage of paint first. And then it was wiped off while the lighter side has the high spots lightly painted with the wet end of the rag.

Working on the clouds and water with fingers.

I added just much Gamblin Galkyd and it pooled up over night.

The top skin of it is dry but the inside layer is still wet in a gelatin like state.

I am able to put my hand print in it and it stays there for a minute or so. This got me thinking that I should place something under the canvas and let it set.

So I decided to place some wine bottles on top to leave circles around.

Placing the bottles on top of the Gamblin Galkyd glaze to hopefully leave a imprint of a circle. The painting below is actually a Collage that can be seen here.

Here is a photo I took of my right hand in front of a painting in progress called Hudson.

After letting the bottles sit on top of the pooled glaze over night. I took them off this morning and found that I really didn’t like the yellowish tint to the glaze. So I used an exacto blade and cut out the parts that were pooled up under the surface of the galkyd. I then removed all the extra and then made a new batch of gamblin cold wax, galkyd and white paint. I am currently letting this dry while keeping a close eye on it so that it doesn’t pool up again.

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Opening a new tube of this paint. And I see that it is being discontinued, so I wonder why!

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The very beginning of a new painting about the golf spill.

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Lifting weights at the Cedar Park rec center. phone camera in one hand the bar bells in the other.

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Detail of BP Golf Oil Spill painting by Sam Roloff

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This is in progress. I am letting the mix of oils and glaze dry before doing any more work. I am loving how the paints are mixing so well looking just like a spill of crude oil on water. More to come…

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This painting was started last summer of 2009 at the Roloff Farms as part of an art project called the”Roloff Art Experience – The ABC’s (Apprenticeship, Back-story, Collaborate)”

Younger brother of Matt Roloff of “TLC’s Little People, Big World”, Sam Roloff.   He is working on his newest series of paintings and is giving an opportunity for kids to collaborate and apprentice on his paintings by doing the under painting of ten pieces. During this time the kids will be instructed on basic and master level skills of painting. Sam is giving an opportunity for kids to also collaborate with one another. Matt invited Sam to have these sessions under the pavilion at the farm since he had too many kids for his own studio.

The kids got a great introduction to art via painting. They were exposed to: building of the canvas with stretcher bars, stretching the linen/bedsheets, mixing a palette, applying the ground/gesso, learning techniques of “Back-Story Under-Painting” with acrylic, pencil and charcoal. Sam also provided thought leadership in the discussion areas of why art is important (how do we view events and history by viewing art?), using it as an outlet of expression (good or bad), and that at all times your “Right Brain” can be thinking of different creative expressions. Each painting came with a theme, images and words pre-assigned to guide the kids through the process, they each picked one.

The Kids (4 of Matt’s kids, 3 of Sam’s kids, 2 Crabbe kids, Dakota King, Mia Webster and the Olander kids got to do a large format painting 48 x 36 inches on canvas. This under painting was completely done by the kids in acrylic and the subject matter was of timely events. This made each piece somewhat of a “Time Capsule” painting.

Once the kids paintings were complete, Sam Roloff, painted a new layer of oil paint and glazes over the under-painting. Each step of the painting process was recorded by a photographer so that each part of the story can still be told. These prints will be compiled then into a book that will accompany each painting, to tell its “Back-Story”.

Below is a photo of the completed piece called “Nancy’s Butterfly”

Title: Nancy’s Butterfly
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Date: 2009
Size: 40 x 30 inches
Price: contact artist

Here is a photo a Kevin Leeper who built the gate circa 1990’s. The gate was built for the need of a safe “art park” in the middle of San Francisco’s Tenderloin District. This project was sponsored by The Luggage Store Art Gallery.  Cohen Alley is between Leavenworth and Hyde in San Francisco, CA 94109 USA adjacent to 509 Ellis Street. Google Map

Cohen Alley San Francisco

“Forced Exquisite Corpse” another term for a collage piece done by many different artist, but without their consent. I just added the word “forced” in front to imply that when doing collage you are not allowing the artist to choose but rather force his hand by using reproductions of the artist own work.

“Exquisite Copse is a method by which a collection of words or images is collectively assembled. Each collaborator adds to a composition in sequence, either by following a rule (e.g. “The adjective noun adverb verb the adjective noun”) or by being allowed to see the end of what the previous person contributed.”
- www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exquisite_corpse

This detail of the collage below is a classic example of “Forced Exquisite Corpse”.  The images were found in ARTnews magazines instead of being offered up by the artist.

Forced Exquisite Corpse Collage by Sam Roloff Artist Portland Oregon 201

This portrait is still in progress but it is getting close. I will keep you posted.

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Started work late last night on a new self portrait. More to come.

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