To all of you artists who love to advance their oil painting please read on. Last year when working with Artfix and Raymar I learned some very important technical nuggets helping me develop the highest quality oil painting panel from Raymar. Their nomenclature using letter C and U very important if you have developed a ground to coat your panel. Raymar use different primers the C primer is a doubled coated oil base simulating Lead oxide and a U double primed acrylic primer. If you are using an acrylic coating formula you will use the U formula the C oil based primer may not give good bonding to your acrylic coating. So last year I developed a superior modified panel using 6 layers of my acrylic coating on their L 22 U.I have painted many portraits and wildlife with great success and my 3 duck stamp entry in 2021 to WI Waterfowl Duck Stamp, Federal Duck Stamp and Oregon Duck Stamp were all painted using my modified L22U. The weave texture of the L22 Belgium linen is medium and so even after my coating some minor surface texture. On a duck stamp the surface needs to be perfectly smooth. In working with Catherine Dietrich CEO of Raymar and Pierre Guidetti of Artfix they developed a whole new type of Artfix Belgium Linen. The product called L84C uses the finest weave, # strands per inch, however, since is made with C oil based primer I can not use to coat my acrylic coating. This past September, Raymar used the L84 Belgium Linen ( finest weave) and made using the U acrylic base primer...volia!!! I just received this new material last Friday and today I finished my first wildlife oil painting, Canvasback Drake on a 9" x 12" x 1/8" panel using 6 layers of my acrylic coating. My finished surface is perfectly smooth  and I painted this painting in two steps. Layer #1 yesterday and dry over night, today layer #2 oils. Tomorrow I will continue developing more duck painting.

I am really grateful for this opportunity to create my finest oil paintings of my 30 year career...I am just like a boy in a candy shop!!!

Jimmy Springett wildlife painter

Titled " Is Love "

Three extremely terrific Companies, one French, two American, that have embraced, me, Jimmy Springett's art career at a time in my career when actually is so life giving. I will explain my past two year journey starting in  spring of April 2020....our Nation is rocked by Covid-19 and we are losing jobs, lives are being lost, in every walk of life, and  America is wounded but not down and out, the fat lady is not singing...not yet...so there is a wing and a prayer...always, our loving God is for all of us., at all times.

The name of the companies are Artfix in Provence France, for past 50 years the Narozni family has been hand crafting premium artists canvases for serious painters, who insist on museum quality canvas that has been hand primed according to time honored methods. Website :http://www.sennelier.fr/I learned in meeting Pierre Guidetti and his wife Maureen who owned Savoir-Faire in Novato CA from a search for a Isabey Red Sable Brush, hand made in France. In St Paul, MN Wet Paint an artist 's retail outlet that I have been buying premium art supply since 1991, Kate Katzer helped me originally find, years ago, this Isabey Red Sable Brush, however, I only had the one and was trying to ask her help to find more supply. I did not know at that time Savoir-Faire in Novato, CA is a key art distributor of Wet Paint and where they sourced these amazing red sable hand made brushes from France, however Kate did not succeed in locating this brush. Through all my website searches I learned about Savoir-Faire-USA supply of the French Isabey brush, and called and spoke directly to Pierre Guidetti the owner. Pierre and only a few employees where running his huge art distribution company, as rest were off work due to covid-19. He listened very closely to my request for this amazing Isabey brush from France, took my information and said he would get back to me later in day...my time about 730PM. I thanked him and sent him a text with photo of my Isabey brush. True to his words exactly at 730PM that night his call came and a text with image of my prized red sable hand made brush from France.  The reason this was so hard to locate my Isabey brush, was that two very famous French brush companies merged...Isabey and Raphael...and my brush was now a Raphael brush...not Isabey. Volia. Pierre also introduced me to Sennelier oils also made in France and educated me on Raymar in Phoenix, AZ who are America's number one manufacturer of Belgium linen panel using the Artfix Belgium linen. Pierre introduced me to Catherine Dietrich, CEO of Raymar and from this point going forward Jimmy Springett LLC has been developing my most beautiful oil painting of my career.

So although my art sales in 2020 were  very slow, I was so happy to develop my new oil paintings using these great materials from France and USA. I evaluated all their products to learn my best method and best materials going forward. Over the past 30 years I have developed a special surface treatment, coating each canvas and panel with 6 layers, before sketching and painting. Their best materials for me was an Artfix L 22 U because of the U chemistry being acrylic base not oil base to accept my coating chemistry and when painting my duck stamp competitions, the need to be very fine texture, almost smooth with no tooth after coating, the L 22 U was close but not exactly what I was looking for, also on my portraits very smooth so important too. Another high quality Artfix panel the L84C uses even a finer Belgium Linen, the most strands per inch and when brain storming with Pierre Guidetti and Catherine Dietrich they had a brilliant idea. The L84 C can be made at Raymar using the U chemistry that I need and the L84 Belgium linen is the finest and tightest weave. They ordered a small 1/2 roll of L84 double primed Belgium Linen, from Provence France, and received last year. Raymar just completed this one of a kind new product called L84U just for Jimmy Springett and I received my first shipment last Friday. Over the weekend, I coated two panels with great results creating a near perfect surface....wow!!!

In my blog oil painting today, this Egret as seen in Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, in Grantsburg, WI two weeks ago is painted on Artfix L22U-11" x 14" x 1/8" using my 6 layers of my coating then finely sanded. This painting is titled " Majesty " thanking God for his creation of all wildlife and is available on my FASO website www.jimspringett.com.

For any of you artists reviewing my blog and wanting to try these materials contact Raymar in Phoenix, AZ  ( phone 1-888-809-3314 ask for Elizabeth...say Jimmy sent you!!!)and Wet Paint in St, Paul, MN ( phone 1-651-609-6431 ask for Kate Katzer say Jimmy sent you!!!)  for Raphael red sable hand made brushes and also they supply hard to get Sennelier oils. 

Jimmy Springett Wildlife and Portrait Painter

Titled " Majesty "  Original Oil Painting on (Artfix L22U Belgium Linen made by Raymar Phoenix, AZ)