Montana Artworking by Cindy Betka

Experimenting with new materials expands the possibilities. I have been wanting to try cold wax for awhile now so I bought a jar of it from DickBlick. No way was I going for the hot wax, sounds much too messy. First, I worked the cold wax into oil pigments layering my painting. This method was different from the transparent medium I have been using. The transparent medium is more fluid and doesn't add texture.  I also just waxed over a dried oil painting as a varnish. Both methods have their merits. For me, I found using the cold wax as a varnish to finish an oil painting is my choice. If you are using the wax as a varnish, the painting must be dry to the touch. Spread the wax evenly over the entire surface. I use a soft paper towel to spread it around in a circular fashion. After the layer of wax dries, which surprisingly only takes a few days, I buffed the surface with a soft cloth. This buffing really deepened the colors and made a rich overall even finish to the painting.

Color Shift, Oil, 20" X 20" While waiting for one thing, I must be busy doing something else. Not sure what I am waiting for at the moment other that motivation. I started another painting yesterday and got it to a point where I felt good about the under-painting. At that point I needed to stop for the day. Now I am procrastinating on getting back into the painting. Perhaps I am just a bit afraid I will ruin the good start. Well, when I feel that way I have learned that I just need to take a chance. Be bold and the painting is better for it. If I hesitate with trepidation the painting ends up looking timid and weak. The look of spontaneity is gone. So far in the past few weeks I began 3 different paintings for my fall series. Just one of those worked out. Another one I abandoned completely and the third I started over with a clean idea. In the mean time I dump it on a blog for all to read. Bravely, I am including in this blog one of the paintings that worked and a few