Allegorical Realism Paintings These are some of my recent allegorical realism paintings, painted mostly from imagination. I often use myself as model too. These paintings were done with my own hand-ground oil paint and my own sun-refined linseed oil, using pigments from burnt bones, ochres, earths and stones I find, and various gemstones like lapis lazuli or chrysocolla. Click on an image to view larger file size. What are allegorical realism paintings? Allegorical realism paintings are a form of representational painting (i.e. not abstract), that contain some kind of allegory or deeper…
Constantia Valley Landscape Series
Constantia Valley Landscape Series The Changing Valley A collection of oil paintings mostly of the beautiful and historic Constantia Valley done en plein air. As urbanization encroaches, the landscape of my childhood quickly changes. This series of landscape oil paintings of the Constantia Valley is very dear to my heart. It was the first ‘mature’ series of paintings I had attempted. During this time, from 2008 onwards, I had been pushing hard to become a serious artist while living in Constantia. I grew up and went to school in the valley, so the vineyards and mountains were…
Recent Contemporary Realist Oil Paintings
Recent Contemporary Realist Oil Paintings These are some of my recent contemporary realist oil paintings, painted mostly from life or imagination. I used a combination of good quality commercial oil paints and my own hand-ground oil paint made in the traditional Old Master’s method for these paintings. Click on an image to view larger file size. The medium is always my own traditional hand-refined linseed oil, which is far superior and faster drying than the thin heat-pressed linseed oil found in art shops. The figure paintings are either from…
A Little Nocturne Oil Painting
Click to view the painting. A Little Nocturne Oil Painting by Damian Osborne Light the scented candles, put on that old Chopin CD and pour another glass of red. I’m in the mood for a little nocturne oil painting. This scene made a very strong impression on me as I regarded the crescent moon hanging like a shining eyelash between the mountain buttresses one evening. It’s a little corner of wildness, this exposed section of the peninsula at the end of the mountain range, with incessant gale-force winds from the sea, slamming against the rock faces and my back.…
How to Create More Meaningful Art — Part 2
How to Create More Meaningful Art — Part 2 by Damian Osborne 7 | Recording and painting your feelings — keeping a journal 8 | Get deep — explore your shadows 9 | Read soul-enriching books — the works of the visionaries and great thinkers 10 | Spend time communicating with nature 11 | Be comfortable with being alone 12 | Think about what is most precious to you In case you missed it, this is a continuation from How to Create More Meaningful Art — Part 1 on habits I’ve been trying to stick…
Best Ideas for Oil Painting Every Painter Should Try
Watch this video on YouTube Best Ideas for Oil Painting Every Painter Should Try by Damian Osborne So, you’re wondering what you should paint? Here are some of my personal favourite ideas for oil painting: 1 | Landscape painting 2 | Seascape painting 3 | Still life painting 4 | Figure painting 5 | Self-portrait painting 6 | Painting portraits of your friends and family 7 | Painting animals 8 | Dreams, fantasy, mythological, allegorical and imaginary painting Throughout the history of painting, artists have found inspiration for their art from these universal and personal subjects. What were…
Alla Prima Still Life Painting Demo
Watch this video on YouTube Alla Prima Still Life Painting Demo by Damian Osborne Painting an alla prima still life is a really valuable exercise for any artist. For this still life painting demo, I set up some apples in an African bowl. The painting was another still life commission for a collector in the U.K. In my last post, I showed how to stretch a canvas for painting. I showed how to make a strainer frame and talked about the differences between a strainer and stretcher frame, and the pros and cons of each for stretching canvas. I…
Weird Questions Beginner Oil Painters Ask
Weird Questions Beginner Oil Painters Ask by Damian Osborne 1 | When does one do underpainting? And is that synonymous with a wash or blocking in? 2 | If you do an underpainting, what medium do you prefer to use? 3 | How many layers of oil paint can you pile on top of the underpainting? 4 | Do you paint an oil painting in subsequent layers by just adding more oil? Or is it more paint? 5 | Can I use acrylic under an oil painting? 6 | What is the difference between alkyd medium and linseed…
Alla Prima Portrait Study in Oils
Watch this video on YouTube Alla Prima Portrait Study in Oils by Damian Osborne In this alla prima portrait study demo, I did an oil sketch of my sister in one sitting, using a limited palette. This quick oil portrait was done in my sketchbook, painting it wet-on-wet. I primed the paper with a basic white acrylic primer in order to paint my oil portrait studies. This is a great way to practice alla prima portrait painting in oils without the expense of canvas. Generally, an alla prima portrait sketch uses a limited palette (the Zorn Palette is…
How to Paint Flowers in Oils
Watch this video on YouTube How to Paint Flowers in Oils by Damian Osborne It’s time to paint flowers! I had these beautiful and exotic Amaryllis flowers from a house warming gift. They were blooming nicely. So I decided to paint them. The painting is a Christmas present for my mother-in-law. Flowers are easy to paint in oils since you can set them right up in front of you and paint them from life. If you’re new to oil painting, make sure you quickly read Beginning an Oil Painting – My 5 rules before you start. This is…
Painting the Figure – Part 1
Watch this video on YouTube Painting the Figure – Part 1 by Damian Osborne This painting is actually part of my Siren Series. I have broken up this figure painting demo into 4 parts. So stay tuned for explanations of the various stages. How do you start a figure painting with charcoal? Vine charcoal is the best medium for starting a figure painting because it’s easy to wipe away and make corrections to your drawing. It is also perfect for drawing on canvas. Unlike graphite, it is soft, and does not create the typical graphite sheen that…
Beginning an Oil Painting – My 5 rules
Beginning an Oil Painting – My 5 Rules by Damian Osborne Before even beginning an oil painting, I have 5 rules as an artist for this year. Hopefully I will maintain them strictly for the rest of my life. Art isn’t easy. While you don’t really have a boss to report to for work, it can definitely be exhausting to keep pushing yourself. The many voices inside can gang up on you. Sometimes you have to dig really deep to get working on that painting, to find your inspiration, to give your best 100% of the time. To…
Painting a Portrait with the Zorn Palette
Painting a Portrait with the Zorn Palette by Damian Osborne I gave a live portrait demonstration with the Zorn palette at the Blaauwberg Art Society in Cape Town. The model was my friend Rohan and the duration of the demo was about an hour and 20 minutes. It was quite intense giving a demo lesson to a room full of artists. Especially since I was trying to create a near enough likeness of Rohan in a really short time. And talk about my process while painting. And so, for my first ever live portrait demonstration, I learnt quite…
The Sirens 2019 – 2020
What do Sirens Symbolise? The Sirens represent the estranged wildness we may feel in the presence of untameable nature; the salty ocean wind lashing our face, the crushing fear of being dashed against rocks, of drowning, of being vulnerable, of being alive — the luring song of the unknowable. Click on an image to view. I painted this series of figurative oil paintings between 2019 – 2020. The Sirens symbolise our disconnect with the mystical, savage and timeless nature of our unconscious. I have written quite extensively in The Siren Paintings on their symbolism, my…