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Willows, Collins Bay

Willows, Collins Bay, oil on panel, 9 x 12 inches.

Lemoine Point Conservation Area is on Collins Bay in Kingston, Ontario. On the bay's opposite shore lie waterfront houses, which I've suggested on both sides of the tree trunks. The day was hot and humid, the haze hinted at here.

Using safflower oil as the medium here was a revelation! In years past, I've employed solvent or quick-drying alkyd mediums. But safflower oil (even more than the standard linseed oil) dries very slowly, in four to seven days, which means the painter can work wet-in-wet -- and get those expressive brush-marks and textured blends of colour -- for a week.

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