Gamblin Oil Painting Ground makes a strong, bright, non-absorbent foundation for oil paintings. The base ingredients of the ground makes canvas and linen stiffer than acrylic gesso and more flexible than traditional oil primers. In this Artist Review of the Month, Georgie Rey explains why she likes the experience of priming her own birch plywood boards for oil painting and how a little primer goes a long way.
Artist Review of Gamblin Oil Painting Ground
by Georgie Rey
Priming my boards is an important part of the process for me. It makes me go through my old paintings and paint over the unsuccessful ones. It also gets me into my studio (we all have other things to deal with) as I know I have just ‘one more coat of primer’ to put on the panels. Once I’m in my studio and priming my boards I’ve unlocked the ‘block’ and I often pick up the brush and start painting.
I use this to prime my birch panels. First I prime with rabbit skin glue then the oil primer. It allows the paintbrush to slide smoothly around the canvas, I prefer it to gesso where the brush doesn’t slide so well.
I like to use Gamblin Oil Painting Ground for priming my plywood panels. I buy 3 mm birch plywood sheets, in sizes A5 and A4 which I use for making small oil studies en plein air. First, I prime them with 2-3 coats of rabbit skin glue: back, front, and edges. I buy the crystals and use 1:13 water, soak them overnight, then heat in a double boiler. It can then be kept in the fridge. Once dry, I apply two thin layers of Gamblin White Oil Painting Ground.
Dinghies at Itchenor, 2024
Georgie Rey
Oil on birch ply panel, 21 x 15 cm | 8.2 x 5.9 in
See the white ground showing between the spaces of the pontoon.
The oil primer allows the paintbrush to run smoothly across the panel when using a small brush and thin paint. I find gesso is chalky and I have difficulty drawing my lines in oil paint onto it.
My favourite aspect of the product is the toughness of the oil primer and the way it reflects the light back through the thin dark washes. With oil painting, the darks should be thin and transparent. Over time, the oil paint will become more transparent and the white of the primer acts as a mirror and reflects the light back. I like to paint on a white ground and often bits of the white ground are left showing. This adds to the sketchy, fresh feeling of the work.
The Wedding Cake, Buckingham Palace. St. James’s Park, 2024
Georgie Rey
Oil on birch ply panel, 21 x 15 cm | 8.2 x 5.9 in
The Cobalt Blue tree on the left has a good blue colour thanks to the white oil primer underneath.
I like the experience of making my own panels because my artwork is my own creation from start to finish. One small pot of paint goes a long way and lasts many months. I’ve just covered 70 small A5 boards and 12 A4 boards with two coats of thinned oil primer, and there is still some left in the 473 ml tin.
Golden Hour, Mill Pond Bottom, Treyford, 2024
Georgie Rey
Oil on birch ply panel
21 x 15 cm | 8.2 x 5.9 in
The white ground is showing through in places and is a good base layer for the sky.
About Georgie Rey
I paint outdoors, plein air, always from life, making small studies and then larger, more abstract pieces in the studio. It’s all about enjoying being outdoors and the pleasure it brings when we connect to the land. I paint quickly and spontaneously and enjoy always learning and improving my technique. My paintings are emotional responses to the landscape. I like walking on the South Downs where I find interesting rhythmic views with big hills and deep valleys. I like to go back to the same place, get to know it for a year or more, and make studies in different mediums. When painting, I tap into the subconscious and paint intuitively. We experience transcendence when we paint, which is why we do it, it makes us feel good!
Devil’s Dyke, 2024
Georgie Rey
Oil on board, 20 x 15 cm | 7.8 x 5.9 in
Further Reading
Size, Primer, Gesso and Ground Explained
Artist Insights: Georgina Potter
In Conversation with Pete Cole of Gamblin
Choosing a Clear Primer for Oil Painting
Shop Gamblin Oil Painting Ground on jacksonsart.com
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