Lately I have been doing my landscapes in acrylic, still using the knife. The transition to acrylic began with a request from some of my students. I also like the slightly more posterized look of acrylics for some of my concepts. Knife painting in acrylic has to be done very differently than knife painting in oil. In oil I can play with the surface for as long as I like. I can put down paint, move it around, mix other things into it, pick it up again, put it back down, etc. until I am satisfied. Acrylics however dry much too quickly for this, forcing me to make a decision and stick with it or pile on top of it. also, as the acrylic dries it’s consistency changes under the knife which creates some textures that are different from oil.
I like to change it up a bit- trying to do something different with the media forces me to keep questioning what I do and why. Its part of being an artist to seek out new ways of challenging one’s craft. It’s a life long process.