Mixed Media

I have been working in acrylics this past year and one of my favorite things about acrylic paint is how well it works in mixed media.  This image is a detail of a piece is on my easel right now.  It is acrylic on paper.  I have carved into the wet acrylics with soft pastel and pastel pencil.  I love the incorporation of line in painting, and the layering of media creates diverse textures.  Because acrylic dries much quicker and more stable than oil, it bonds well to other dry media.  I had forgotten how much fun this was- and how much I like the results.  I think there will be more of this in my upcoming work!

Acrylic Knife Painting

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.

October Afternoon

20″ x 24″

acrylic on canvas

 

This is a bit of a departure for me, but I am having fun with my acrylics.  I have been using brushes again and playing with a loose, painterly approach.  Obviously a lot of autumn in my recent work- how could I not be inspired by the season?  This piece feels particularly personal to me.  I recall the afternoon I took this photo vividly. One benefit to working from photos is being able to relive the memory in creating the painting.

 

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Fish Creek Sunset

10″ x 16″

acrylic on paper

I have been playing with acrylics lately because I have been teaching them a lot and have found myself inspired by my students.  This image is from a photo I took last time I was teaching at the Peninsula School of Art.  I took an hour to hike through the State Park after class and despite being very cold, I found some inspiring views.

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