Artists Magazine - USA (2020-01 & 2020-02)

ArtistsNetwork.com 69

McIntosh’smediumofchoiceisoil

becausehecandrawwithit andpaint

withit andhelovesitsendlessversa-

tility.HetendstooptforOldHolland

andMichaelHardingbrandsandocca-

sionallyusespaintsfroma French

companycalledCharvinbecauseit

offershalf-tones.Hepaintsonpanels

whenhewantstopickoutveryfine

detailsbut,asa rule,prefersthe

springyeffectofcanvas.

Hissurfacepreparationisstilla

processinprogress.“I’mnevercom-

pletelyhappywithwhatI paintonat

thestart,”hesays.“I’vejustdoneone

paintingwhereI appliedabout 10 lay-

ersofgessoandthensandedit toa

verysmoothsurface.Sometimesthe

surfaceisoil-primed;forothers,I opt

for a traditional lead white effect. I get bored, so I’m always

trying different things, alternating between buying acrylic

and oil paint.”

The artist tends to have more than one painting going at

any given time, sometimes stopping midway and going

back to it later. “It’s an endless task of trying to paint

something brilliant and then realizing part way through

that it’s not going to be,” he says. “You get a bit sad. You

have to acknowledge that, at some point, you’re going to

have a fight with your painting. You have to face up to it

and deal with it. Sometimes the fight isn’t as good as you’d

like it to be or there’s not much sense of victory.”

Bucking Trends

In terms of influences, McIntosh is inspired by many

types of artists. He cites musician Bruce Springsteen

for showing him the truth; painter Hieronymus Bosch

for showing him the love; and writer Cormac McCarthy

ABOVE
The White Horse
oil on linen, 59x70⁴⁄₅

OPPOSITE
The Broken Column
oil on linen, 21³⁄₅x35⁴⁄₅