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| Someday Soon acrylic on paper Image size 10" x 13' approx matted to 14" x 18" |
This piece could have easily been titled Dreaming of Lake Alpine. Now that the weather has been warmer for awhile I have a strong desire to go hiking. We call it "going upcountry" around here and it means you are heading up highway 4 towards the mountains.
There is no doubt either that I could sorely use an indoor photography setup. My camera is good but my photography habits are bad! I just haven't applied myself to the task.
For the above piece, I used something a little new. I have always though acrylics were a little "gimmicky" because of all of the things that can be done with additives. Pastes, and gels, and thinners and extenders: they all do something different to make the paint behave differently. Stiffness, silkiness in blending, texturizing, and transparent effects. If you can dream it up, there is probably an acrylic medium for it! A couple of weeks ago I decided that it was time to order more paint. I chose to order paint from a fairly new-to-me company down south called Nova Paints. I switched brands because of cost. M. Graham, Golden, and Utrecht brand paints are rich and creamy but in greater quantities than what I currently use, they are also expensive. So, trying to be economical, I ordered from Nova. The paint arrived and I was surprised that it was so thin. I was a little bummed but perked up when I realized that I probably had something that I could add to the paint to thicken it up. The consistency doesn't matter for me anyway until the final layer goes on. (I work in washes until I get the color and value right.) The paste works wonderfully to add body to the paint. It also extends the quantity of the paint quite a bit which is another bonus. And cost-wise, you need very little of the paste which gives you more bang for your buck. So, win-win for me!
OK, hope the week is off to a good start for everyone. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Libby
This one is really, really appealing to my senses. beautiful color harmony and the design is wonderful
ReplyDeleteI love it, Libby.
Regarding a new paint brand.
Acrylic paint has to take the colorfast test for me so when you say they are thin in consistency I find that neither good or bad. I would just do a test strip and place it in a sunny window. Then you can let me know if they stand up to a month in the strong sun.