Airbrush

Airbrush Quick Tips/Notes

Realer Than Real—Abstract painting was in the spotlight in the 1960’s when along came sharp focus realism.  Paintings in this style were more realistic than a photograph and usually much larger in size.  (This was before giclee printing was available.)  Among photo realists the airbrush was a preferred tool with which to render.  Painters such as Don Eddy, Audrey Flack and Chuck Close painted subject matter from gigantic portraits to still lifes to landscapes in acrylics as well as oils using the airbrush with its innate ability to spray in a manner that mimics a photograph. 

Galleries that championed this art form sprung up on both coasts.  OK Harris, Lewis K. Meisel and the Nancy Hoffman Gallery still exist in SoHo, New York City, within a few blocks of each other.  On the West Coast, exhibits were held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and at San Jose State, both in CA, as early as 1971.  This sharp focus look in painting was also utilized by abstract painters such as George Green, Michael Gallagher and Paul Sarkisian and was called abstract illusionism.  These works are collected by major museums throughout the country and can be seen on a regular basis in Manhattan galleries. 

Drain Your Tank—Most piston-operated compressors have a storage tank in which the air is held before it’s consumed.  This tank tends to collect condensation and/or oil, so it must be drained periodically.  At the bottom front of most storage tanks there is screw valve that is unscrewed while there is pressure in the tank to allow the moisture and excess oil to drain.  Once the tank is drained, the valve is closed so that it can again build up pressure in the tank.  If moisture is left in the storage tank too long, rusting can take place; and excess moisture buildup can lead to moisture in the air line, neither of which is desirable.  Periodic draining will prevent both.  Visit www.silentaire.com to see their extensive line of compressors/accessories.

FREE Airbrush e-Newsletter

Go to www.airbrushtalk.com to read the new January-February issue of AirbrushTalk and sign up for your free subscription.  Articles included are “Airbrushing Resolutions” by Janean S. Thompson, “The Derelict Spacecraft” by Wes Hawkins, and “Girlie Girl Pin-Up Step-by-Step,” (Part 1) by Deborah Mahan.  You’ll also find information on forthcoming airbrush workshops.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 17 No. 4 — February 2007