Newspaper Paintings

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Of all my different styles, it's the "newspaper paintings" that are the most popular.
You gesso your canvas - when dry, apply fresh gesso and apply your newspaper page. The wetter it is the more bubbles that will appear - not so wet, it's easier to coax those bubbles out. The tooth from the gesso gets into the paper and creates a nice velvety surface that just begs to be drawn on. Pastels(chalky) and pastel pencils are used to color the images and then I "fix it" with Krylon Matte spray (clear). Then apply Golden's(or Liquitex) Matte Medium which will give you a fresh, porous new surface for pastels or paint. . . . and repeat - pastels, spray, matte medium - for lots of wonderful layering.

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The above painting -"Queen Tut & The Pouty Prince" was an absolute hoot to make. Started out with the 2, full page ads and applied them with toned, matte medium on a gessoed canvas. Colored the guy on the left realistically, but when I got to the lady I loosened up quite a bit. (I can only take so much realism) haha
So here was this nice composition with two colored heads and the red bar which says "between the two of you". Bor-ing. Then the fun began. Gave her a crown of Naples Yellow, squirted right out of the tube; then a beard and glasses. After giving him a silver chain with dangling heart, I squirted a couple of other hearts and arrows - all straight out of the tube and all the while laughing myself silly. THIS, was fun ! I had done another painting titled "Queen Tut", but now she had a pouty prince - it all made sense to me and kept me in stitches.
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I've been amazed by all the different reactions to this simple (and to me hilarious) painting. Someone thought it was racial with sexual overtones, another person thought it was about gay marriage, supposing the person on the right was a guy in drag. It was in an exhibit at the local mall and I noticed a gentleman studying it for the longest time. When questioned, he paid me the nicest compliment by saying that he regularly did the big Art Museums of Europe and they had all become quite predictable and boring, but to him this was fresh and captivating. WOW. Suddenly I felt validated and honored..
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