Another day and I have done some more samples on canvas, though still not achieving the marks I want to make. I tried mixing oils with white spirit and oil paint with raw linseed oil and oil paint with stand oil. It’s basically trying to thin the paint to the consistancy I require without losing the colour. It is also about the way the paint moves on the canvas, how it soaks into it or lies on the surface.
As I haven’t found any information on stains, I have decided to try and create my own stains. I am in the process of wrapping a piece of fabric round an iron object and keeping it wet. The problem with this is the lack of control with the marks created. I have achieved some lovely rust stains in their vibrant yellow orange colour, but to manipulate them to the correct area and size and position will require a lot more experimentation.
I will have to look at creating other stains too. Whether the stains will last the test of time is another problem. When we don’t want to stain something they will stay but when we do they have the opposite tendency.
Polly Donnellan
