Rockland Harbor (night)

Rockland Harbor (night)
2025
Oil on Canvas
10" x 12"

Tyler Weeks (b. 1985 in Exeter, NH) is a Maine based visual artist. His intimate oil paintings and works on paper employ techniques of plein-air painting as well as photography and life drawing. Weeks’ work focuses on finding the tenderness in ordinary spaces and acts as a snapshot of everyday life. His landscape work observes the world around him, including abandoned concrete silos in the neighborhood in which he lives, wildflowers growing in a parking lot, or the way light peaks through the forest at dusk. Similarly, Weeks’ figurative work focuses on moments of fleeting introspection. A stranger enjoying a moment of solitude on a firescape or navigating the liminal spaces of laundromats and subway stations. Weeks received a BFA in painting from James Madison University and has exhibited in group shows throughout New York and New England. Weeks currently resides in Rockland, Maine where he co-runs a figure drawing and plein-air painting group called “The Rockland Observationalists”.

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1. Ready Made Canvas Panels I’ve been painting on these cheap ready made canvas panels for a while now and love them for their affordability and versatility. I use oil paint on them but the sky is the limit. Plus they come in many different sizes. My favorite is 5”x7”.
2. Gamsol ! Gone are the days of smelly solvents and toxic paint thinners. This is my must have go to odorless mineral spirit for painting with oils. The safest and most effective brush and paint thinner that I’m aware of.
3. Winsor Newton oil paint. This is my go to brand of oil paint. Sure there are higher quality oils out there and definitely lower quality too. I find that these are the best bang for your buck. The price point to quality ratio is just right for me. They also have almost any color you could want. Be aware that there are different series based on color that vary in price.
4. Brushes! I love an angle brush. I’m a believer that you don’t necessarily need fancy expensive brushes to do good work. Sure it’s nice having a horse hair hand made artisanal brush but I prefer to have a bunch of cheapies and burn through them! I find that an angle brush is the most versatile brush for fading in as well as sharp crisp lines. I will grab this brush more than any other.
5. Canvas stretcher! When I’m not painting on cheap panels I like to stretch my own canvas. I find that this canvas stretcher is really helpful to get a nice taught canvas, right as a drum! It’s also kind of a cool specific tool.
6. Stapler! On the subject of stretching canvas I love a small light duty stapler like this Arrow. Can be readily found at lowes or other hardware stores. Make sure you get the right staples also!
7. Plein air easel!  A slightly bigger ticket item but so fun and versatile. I’ve been doing a lot of plein air painting recently and love this easel. It’s compact/ folds up/ and can carry pretty much everything you need for a painting session outside. It even has a little compartment for some 5”x7” paintings.
8. Jar for paint thinner! You of course will need a jar for washing brushes while painting. You may think that all jars are created equal but trust me they are not. I have tried every jar under the sun and I have really grown fond of these castelvetrano olive jars. Plus you get a delivery snack first!
9. Acrylic gouache. Okay, I have found that gouache is one of the most mystified mediums out there. And expensive! I’ve really grown fond of this acrylic gouache hybrids! It is water soluble and goes on like acrylics but doesn’t have that plastic feel. It is opaque and can be applied thick or thin. It handles something like a watercolor paint but can be layered in a way that watercolor cannot. I love using this for small quick studies on paper. A little goes a long way.
10. Finally paper! I love Bristol. It’s a smooth durable paper that comes in a pad typically with a wax coated edge. It can be used for drawing but can also handle wet mediums. Great for watercolor or gouache. It’s very smooth and has a great feel in the hand. It’s my go to for anything paper related. I haven’t tried painting on it with oils but you probably could. Great for colored pencil also