Freja

[Carlos Ygoa]

Beautiful, Allan. Looks so effortless. I would also like to try copper one day.

I can see this one day being in a nice big coffee table book about contemporary Danish masters.

[Amanda Grosjean]

The combination of copper and green in the background is just gorgeous. I had never heard of painting on copper before but I am very interested, please share more info. What sort of treatment (if any) did you give to the plate before painting? Are you concerned at all about the exposed copper oxidizing and changing color? Are you going to apply a varnish to it (maybe this would solve the problem)? Any historical precedence (that you know of) of artists painting on copper? (Just wondering how it holds up over time). Did you find it a more difficult surface to paint on? I would think it would be so slick. Does it take the paints longer to dry? Do you have more examples with different color combinations? So many questions!

I am going to be digging through my things today to see if I have any un-used copper plates from the intaglio days. Ugghh! How I have missed you copper!

[David Draime]

A beautiful and intimate portrait. Well done!

David

[Allan Rahbek]

Thank you, all

Painting on copper is quite uncomplicated.

First I fixed the copper plate to a fiberboard panel with a stabble across each corner of the copper plate.

Cleaned the surface with turpentine and tissue and then scumbled over the whole panel with undiluted paint using a bristle brush. This made a foundation suited for further application of paint.

Then some marks for drawing and impasto paint.

I once before tried to paint on copper, but thinned the paint too much. Thinning is a no no because the copper is non absorbent. That time I gave it up without a fight.

I don't think that oxydation will occure when the copper plate is varnished.

Rembrandt and others have painted small pictures on copper. They seems to be in perfect condition.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Allan,

The thing I like best (and there are many things I like) about your work is that you obviously enjoy the feel of the paint and the surface. In this sketch of your granddaughter it seems to me that the feel of the paint and your feeling for her are connected, so that they are expressed together. The blues and greens are wonderfully rich, I guess because of the copper showing through. Her skin glows in contrast. It reminds me a little of Sargent's oil sketch of his sister Violet, I think because of the brushstrokes and something around the eyes..

[Allan Rahbek]

Thank you, Alex,

how did you know that I had Sargent in my mind, or rather Clayton's explanation of Sargent's method ?

It's a nice painting of Violet and I see what you mean about the similarity of expression.

I can see how he laid in the opaque paint at first and then dragged a large dry brush over it to model the edges and drag one value into another as can be seen on the left side cheek and neck.

I started with laying inn the two medium values, a dark for the hair and a light for the face and neck, then modeling the big shapes of the head before painting the features.

Since I had to use the paint right from the tube, like I understand Sargent did, I might as well give the method a try.

You are also right that I enjoy the painting process and think that the paint structure is as important as the illusion.

The background was darker at first and I decited to lighten it. While shoving around with the lighter value I saw the copper coming through and liked the combination.

[Tom Edgerton]

Simply wonderful, Allan!

[Mike Dodson]

Nice work Allan. Definitely "Sargentesque".

[Allan Rahbek]

Thank you, Tom and Mike, for the nice words.

It's also a pleasure to watch whey you show your works.