The John Stobart Project – Chapter 2 – John’s Methods and Materials
The painting (above) as it was last touched by John, now on my easel here in Mystic.
Finishing a John Stobart Painting
I am deeply honored to have been asked by John Stobart’s widow (and head of the Stobart Foundation) to finish a painting of South Street (at his request) that he was unable to complete before his passing in early 2023. I will be regularly chronicling my progress finishing the piece using John’s notes, research, methods and materials in a series of blog posts, below:
The unfinished painting of New York (above) clearly reflects John’s methods and reveals the approach to his craft, which has been well documented and explained in books and videos over the decades by the man himself. We are blessed to have so much of John’s videos now archived on YouTube — master classes in art and the craft of oil painting, each one of them. No one can explain his methods better than him, so I encourage you watch the video below. I’ve started it from the 11:45 minute mark, skipping over a perspective lesson, to the point where he teaches us preparing the canvas and choosing his materials for painting outdoors.
The basic tools he explains, including his limited five-color palette and types of brushes, also applied to his studio paintings. I’ll use the same techniques to finish the New York painting.
There are a couple of dozen of John’s PBS Worldscape episodes you can now watch on YouTube too, about 12 hours of him teaching us generously about the philosophy, artistry and techniques of oil painting. All are fascinating and entertaining, and each reveal an insight or procedure helpful to artists of all levels of experience.
What also comes through, clearly, is his charming and engaging spirit and personality, and eagerness to share his knowledge and insights with us.
The unfinished New York painting (below) shows the same methods of preparation as he demonstrated in the video, with copper tacks still loosely affixed (in case he wants to modify the crop and restretch the canvas):
I have one of John’s wooden palettes too, some of his brushes, and the same five-colors (plus white) he limited himself to throughout his career. Like me, he often used very inexpensive brushes, especially the small rounds for detail work. I’m not so good about clean up, and who cares when you toss a 20 cent brush after a few uses. Best part: the brushes don’t know they’re cheap.
The work also has a sheen over most of it which reveals the use of a medium while painting, mixed in with the tube paints (below). We know from John himself that he used a 50 / 50 mix of linseed oil and odorless turp. It is difficult to maintain the exact amount of medium on the brush while painting, which is demonstrated by areas that are less shiny, or even matte, or ‘sunk in.’ We also know he used retouch varnish often to revive the flat areas, as I will do during my efforts to complete the painting.
