 "Rainy Day Angels" © Fawn McNeill 2025 The rain slows and the light peeks through. The broken heart in the clouds is surrounded by ministering angels. (Symbolism on so many levels.)
Waves of emotions that overwhelm me, rain for tears, sunlight for hope, and angels to remind me that I'm not alone. The Lord has sent so many amazing reminders that he loves me, He is still with me, and I will see my son again. I mostly work in acrylics or watercolors because they dry quickly, and there are no solvents involved. Recently, I have done some restorations in oils, and a commission on a saw blade (last year). I love the way they blend easily. So, while I have my oils out for restorations, I am creating a few paintings in oils. Some technicalities: oils do not dry by evaporation. They oxidize and harden. They continue this process, and very old paintings will crack as they age. Oils must be built up from lean to fat, which means each layer has more linseed oil added to the paint so the top layers dry slower. This helps the paint to dry properly and not crack prematurely. I love the beginning stages of thinned oil painting. The abstract nature of quickly covering a canvas is exhilarating! However, the solvents do not like me at all. I have had severe adverse reactions which included extreme pain in my abdomen, couldn't breathe, severe headaches, passed out, sinus infections, and coughing up blood. I've had similar issues from fragrances in cosmetics and cleaning house with anything but natural cleaners. Now I use natural solvents when working with oils, which I also use sparingly, as they do have a strong odor. After the base coat has dried, I try to do most of the painting in one session, instead of layers, then the finishing details get added with some linseed oil. The drying time is a week or two before adding the details. (Acrylics take about ten to fifteen minutes to dry.) It is worth the extra effort, and I hope to get a few more underway while I'm working on the restorations. The stormy paintings are a kind of art therapy I guess, which my instructors at Florida Atlantic University frowned upon. But I need to get through this. There is no way around the intense pain and overwhelming sea of emotions. So, for now, this is an attempt to find my way through the saddest days of my life. ~ Original Oil on hardboard ~ 11 x 14 inches ~ Not for sale Click here to see more More blog posts: Random Thoughts Comments are closed.
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