I wish I was an artist who just knew clearly which medium and style and subject matter was her niche. I’m not. Not at this point.
I’m jumping into acrylics for a while in 2023. Acrylics are a unique medium and a learning curve is required after any time spent painting in oils. Oils are buttery and workable and blendable But for oils to exhibit that hallmark alla prima quality they need decisive brushstrokes. My natural tendencies are towards a more deliberative process and I enjoy making reevaluations that necessitate time to percolate in my brain.
So, enter acrylic glazing. Acrylic glazing is forgiving. A value that appears too dark can be painted over in a wash of titanium white in glazing medium. A green that is too cool can be glazed over in a wash of yellow in a glaze. The glazing creates uneven color that adds interest and transparency in washes that mimic watercolor paintings in the way all transparent media allow the layers of color to create a depth as the light passes through the layers to the painting surface and then back to the eye of the observer. As a painter in this style, I can walk away and come back later and see things I want to adjust and do that through another layer application. This is not the case in oil painting unless one uses the slow and time-consuming techniques of the old masters such as Rembrandt to paint in multiple applications of thin oil washes in Imprimatura style.
Here is a painting I did in acrylic glazes: Look at the way the colors glow as they are built up in layers!
12 x 12 acrylic on Ampersand panel ~ original private collection ~ giclee prints $75
Biscuit at Anna Maria Island
And here is series of stepwise stages of a demo for my art class. We start with a value block-in applied in a fairly neutral but colorful wash using a minimum of values to lay the visual foundation. This is followed by thin washes of underpainting in a complement color in comparison to the final color. The final layers modulate in temperature and value to create the effect you see in the finished painting. I want to explore more of this in 2023. Stay tuned!
Closeup:
It has been a pleasure to view and follow your work. The demo is very thought provoking and demonstrates your acute eye for color and technique.
My opinion is that you have conquered the mediums that you have attempted.
As for me I will continue to follow your work. Hopefully I will become half the artist that you have become.