Pavement And The Art of Cold Wax Painting
Introduction
This painting has been an experiment in working with larger-scale gesso boards (16″ x 20″), as well as working with unconventional painting techniques. Named after Pavement’s song “Fight This Generation,” this piece was inspired by impressionistic paintings, especially the color palette.
Zinc White & Other Transparent Pigments
The majority of my paintings begin with a thinned coat of burnt sienna. Compared to areas of the surface left unpainted, the orange tone often creates visual interest in subsequent layers. When painting the background, a layer of phthalo blue thinned with clear wet-into-wet medium was glazed roughly over the orange. After that, small amounts of zinc white were stippled into the blue to suggest small clouds visually. For the lace details in the tablecloth, a stiff brush was used to create impasto strokes of zinc white.
Cold Wax Medium
I always enjoy experimenting with new oil painting mediums, especially ones that reduce the required hours to complete a painting. When it came time to paint the ground cover, I created a small palette of earth tones to then mix with the cold wax medium. Only a small amount of pigment & thinner was added to maintain the workable consistency of the wax. Using a pointed metal palette knife, the wax was quickly applied to the painting panel. Once the pigmented wax was on the panel, a rubber paint eraser carved out the small lines and floral motifs.
Close-up of the cold wax medium in use.
Conclusion
Pavement is one of my favorite bands, and this painting was created as a part of an upcoming series based on music + nature. Cold wax medium has proved to be useful for a number of applications, including increasing translucency and texture of paint, as well as serving as an excellent matte varnish.
Photo Reference Credit: Marcus Roth
24Hr Coffee Fine Art 
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