10/12/2026
Ever heard of “scumbling” in art? Scumbling is a painting technique that involves lightly brushing one color over another so that both colors remain partially visible, often creating atmospheric effects of light, mist, clouds, and water. English painter J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851) was a master of the technique, as seen in his 1842 oil painting “Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth.”
Ojai artist Wrona Gall has a talent for scumbling, too. In her acrylic cloudscapes, like “Turner Sky,” Wrona manipulates both dry and liquid pigments directly with her hands, grinding them into wooden panels to create the feathery wisps that dominate even her darkest, storm-filled skies.
Fun fact: Turner was also known to use his fingers to manipulate paint!
See “Wrona Gall and Ted Gall: Stories in Pigment and Metal” now through November 8, 2026, at the Santa Paula Art Museum.
🎨 “Turner Sky” by Wrona Gall, 2024, Acrylic on panel, 76” x 54”, Available for purchase.
🎨 “Snow Storm - Steam-Boat off a Harbour's Mouth” by J.M. W. Turner, circa 1842, Oil on canvas, Collection of Tate Britain.
🎥 Video of Wrona Gall painting in her Ojai studio in 2026.
