Blondheim Art Original Paintings

St Vincent Peninsula
Cape San Blas
8x10 inches
mixed media on panel
gold frame

Purchase HERE




Painters Tip


Mixed Media Results


It seems a good idea to give you an update on the technique I have been using this summer for studio paintings. I believe it will prove to be very satisfactory for plein air work as well.

First, a bit about the casein medium. Casein is a very old medium. Casein (kay'seen) is a quick-drying, aqueous medium using a milk-based binding agent, and is one of the most durable mediums known to man. Nine thousand year old Casein cave paintings have been discovered in Asia, and later, the medium was used by Byzantine, Roman and Renaissance artists including the Old Masters.

I have been using the medium for a few years. They’re very versatile, allowing loose, impressionist brush strokes and very tight detail. They clean up easily with water, and the palette cleans with water as well. Just a paper towel with water will scrub the palette clean.

They have a very similar look to Gouache, which I don't care for as a final finish. I have not been successful in varnishing casein, as it varnishes rather unevenly, with patches of flat paint and other areas glossy. For that reason, I had all but given up on them as a medium.

Luckily, in my research I ran across an article about a painter who was using casein as an under painting and glazing over it with transparent oils. As ,many of you know, I have loved glazing over my opaque oils for some time, but the process is very slow and the drying time very long. That is a problem for me because I often have clients who are in a hurry for work.

Discovering this process, speeds my time up considerably over doing traditional oils. Instead of weeks or months to do a painting, I can do it in a day or two if it is small. The caveat to this is that casein must be done on board, never stretched canvas. Casein dries extremely hard, and any flexing of the support would crack it. Therefore one is limited to the size of the paintings by weight and warping issues. I would probably not go larger than 20x24 for that reason. It might be better to do diptychs or triptychs.

My further research tells me that casein or gouache is a much better under painting medium than acrylic for oils. The archivalist I asked has frowned on having the acrylic/oil combination, but feels the casein /oil combination is fine.

More on this topic tomorrow.....