Materials Used

Throughout my career (30+ years) I’ve tried many different materials in three different continents, giving me the possibility to use only the best ones I’ve come in contact
with or the ones I prefer.

Surface:
There are different surfaces I like to use for my daily paintings. One is masonite boards by Ampersand, which are called Gessobord. These are my favorites, not only because of the quality but because they are ready for me to paint right away (I can be pretty impatient when I have an idea in my mind!). Generally these boards are 1/8″ thick but lately I’ve been using the thicker ones and even the cradle ones, which are perfect for ready to hang paintings. I also like to use for my abstract works and larger landscapes and figurative works heavy weight canvas stretched in kiln dried stretcher bars of 3/4″, 1 1/4″, 1 1/2″ and 2″ deep depending on what I want on the painting.

Ground:
I’m using lately a black acrylic imported gesso which I just fell in love with. I find it better to paint over a dark surface rather on a white or lighter surface, although I use also white and other colors as well depending on the effect I’m looking for.

Paints:
I use professional artist grade oil paintings which are the same ones I use for my larger works. I use a variety of brands, some found in the US some I buy in Europe. The ones I use the most are Gamblin, some Windsor and Newton green colors (made in UK) Titan (made in Spain) Grumbacher (made in US) and Senelier (made in France). For my abstract works I I use professional artist grade acrylic and oil paintings along with the oil paints.

Mediums:
Since the painting a day is a dynamic discipline, the finished paintings need to dry fairly fast. My technique doesn’t require heavy impasto layers of paint therefore the drying process is much faster, but aside from that I also apply a very small amount of either purified linseed drying oil or liquin (or similar) to speed even further the drying process. In the case of my abstracts and more contemporary works I use a large variety of mediums depending on the work I want to do and the effect I’m looking for. All the mediums I use for my abstract works are from Golden.

Varnish:
Every painting that leaves my studio, leaves with 2-3 coats of UV resistant museum quality varnish that will protect the painting surface while adding an elegant uniform gloss to the painting.