DO A WORKSHOP WITH BEN
Ben is tutoring a workshop at PAS studios on Landscape Composition on 13 October from 10 am – 3.30 pm. Participants can work in oil, acrylic or watercolour. Workshop is open to members and non-members. More information …
To enrol contact Ben: mobile: 0427 505 793 or email: ben@benwinspearart.com
Ben Winspear Demo
Ben Winspear is a very versatile and highly accomplished artist who is skilled in a range of media. The oil painting demonstration he did for us was both professionally delivered and entertaining. Ben had recently returned from a plein air painting trip to the Flinders Ranges and used one of his plein air landscape studies as a reference for his painting. He is a firm believer in painting directly from nature when possible and in this session he showed us the alla prima technique he uses when painting outdoors, which tends to be faster and less detailed than some of his studio work where he follows the ”fat over lean” principle.
Ben gave us a detailed tour of the materials he uses. To ensure the longevity of his work, he prefers to use tried and true traditional techniques and media including a 50/50 mix of refined linseed oil and gum turpentine. He stressed the importance of good studio ventilation and gloves when handling turpentine and other toxic solvents as these can penetrate the skin. He uses kerosene to clean his brushes.
Blocking in shapes and colours
Ben uses acrylic primed fine canvas and wipes down new canvases with white spirit before painting on them.
He enjoys and recommends using Michael Harding oils. He prefers using lead white as, though it is toxic, it is warmer than titanium white and tends to brighten as it ages. It also creates a strong bond when mixed with paint, unlike zinc white which tends to crack.
Using his reference study as a guide, Ben began by drawing and blocking in the large shapes and colours that make up the landscape, paying particular attention to the placement of the horizon, so as to emphasise the immensity of the rocky cliff face in the background.
Refining shapes and colours
He used a mix of 3 blues for the sky – cobalt, which he says is perfect for Australian skies, cerulean and prussian blue, with colours becoming cooler and lighter in tone as they approach the horizon. He also used a touch of burnt sienna to ”grey” the blues lower in the sky.
For the cliff face he used burnt sienna, burnt umber, alizarin and ultramarine to give the purplish tinge that is typical in Flinders Ranges landscapes. To obtain the silvery shades in the grasses, Ben used ivory black.
Ben’s palette
When mixing colours Ben recommends adding the new colour at the edges of the existing colour on the palette, and gradually incorporating it into the mix. This makes it easier to get the correct colour while using less paint.
Ben recommends keeping dark areas in the painting relatively flat and untextured and by contrast, making the light areas more textured, with lots of colour variation. This creates depth in the painting and directs the viewer’s eye to the important parts of the subject. You can see this effect in his finished painting below.
Ben kindly donated his finished painting to Peninsula Arts Society.
Ben’s finished painting
Detail from finished painting
Rob Meredith
New Library Books – Inspiration Galore!