Retina Burn

I like to keep the painting well blended at this stage. I’ve never noticed anyone else in art class doing this and it has always amazed me to see how some people can go right for the thick paint and bright colors.
There’s a term that I’ve read in a magazine called Retina Burn. This term was used in a story discussing the judging process in oil painting contests. I’ve always tried to remember this and apply it to my work when I can. It seems that competition judges look at thousands and thousands and thousands of oil painting slides during the judging process. It’s very easy for them to just keep clicking through the slide projector when the paintings become typical and boring. Retina Burn is the process of dulling the whole painting down while gradually bringing light and full color to the focal point of the painting. The strength of the color is so powerful that it immediately draws your attention to the focal point and keeps it there, burning an impression in your eyes.