I begin an oil painting with a final detailed drawing in pencil directly on canvas. This finished sketch is usually the product of a number of other sketches or even a smaller painting of the subject. By the time I have completed the final on-canvas drawing, I have also mentally worked through the application of paint to the canvas and know pretty well the direction I want the final painting to take. Some fine tuning of the canvas drawing is done with the knife as the paint is applied. The mood or atmosphere and highlighted areas have been worked out with the colors and their values during the drawing stages. Often I find myself completing a large area of the canvas with the sole purpose of highlighting another relatively small area of that canvas. These highlighted areas - a tiny spot of light burning through the leaves in a woods, or merely a small puddle on a forest path, are often the stimulus for the entire canvas.
The knife, for me, is the perfect tool in the execution of my oils on canvas. It allows the application of pure color and gives clean definition to a high contrast subject and I find it more spontaneous than a brush. The palette knife can be used merely to stain or scrape the canvas when working out a subject of muted tones - such as a mist shrouded city skyline or a fogbound fishing trawler. I find that with having worked with a knife for over twenty five years, it has become an extension of my right hand. The palette knife seldom interferes with the results I am striving to achieve on the canvas. Even minute details do not feel awkward in their execution.
The composition of my painting is constantly being fine-tuned from the initial sketching through the finished oil. The balancing of my composition is of tremendous importance to me. A good balance in composition results in a painting that is both relaxing and yet stimulating to look at. I strive for a finished work that is easy to view while provoking feelings of intimacy and calm."... Paul Rupert
