Oil and Form

Oil work continues here. I brought up my second batch for water removal and once again lost oil when the water blew out in a fury. I think that as the batch clears on the stove, the remaining water comes together, creating conditions that lead to the blowouts.

What seems obvious now is that excess water needs removal. I am looking into methods to remove water prior to heating but I may need to stop the heating and remove excess water by hand before continuing the heat process.

In the photo the top mini jar contains studio oil made from commercial alkali refined linseed oil. The mini jar below is my first refined batch. It is slowly clearing up nicely.

The tall bottle is last night's work. There is some settling of residual water and some solids. Soon I will rack the oil off and rebottle. Sounds like wine, doesn't it?

Oil work will continue as I try out my own techniques, but for now...

In the next series of posts I plan to delve into form development based in part on Old Master studies. It's a matter that has been on my mind for some time. This evening I'm laying my foundations and tomorrow will provide detail. More soon!