Acrylic - another one on favorite ground

Another one on the black 4 ply rag mat - no markings and I've had it years, I think it is Alphamat. Making a little headway in feeling comfortable with acrylic. Putting the paint on the surface without frustration is my goal for now.

Barn #1, acrylic on black rag 4ply, 6x6 inches

Acrylic - finding the right ground

Of course there is no "right" ground, only the right ground for me. For acrylic I don't like the spring or texture of canvas, I don't like the slickness of Gessobord, I DO like a sanded surface but my brushes don't. Today I tried archival 4-ply black mat. I sort of love it, at least in the beginning until I make a big mess. Same subject, the old house with fire hydrant.

 

House with Fire Hydrant, acrylic, 6x6 inches

The rest of the story...

... or How Acrylic Changed My Life. In my effort to learn to use and like acrylic paint, I have been focusing on the feel of the paint from brush to surface and upon the application technique of color and value.

On Fridays I always work in pastel for my Daily Paintworks Gallery. Last Friday I brought home an unfinished painting, a close-up view of a flower arrangement. Today, as I went back to it, something from acrylic must have transferred to this little painting because I was oblivious of the whole (all 35 square inches of it) and instead, submersed in color and marks. Love the abstracted quality and I'm glad that what I have been teaching my hand over ruled my brain.

1-23-16 Among Friends, pastel, 7x5 inches

Available

Friday painting 1-22-16

Our little Friday Group at the community center is growing with several new people attending yesterday. The result is more art stimulation for everyone. I love to listen to them chat while I paint but then someone asked me a few questions and the end result is only one painting to show for my afternoon's work. I talked too much.

This is an usual subject for me, especially in the small 7 x 5 inch format. In my Studio it is easy to work a new subject past the point of no return, wipe it off and begin again. My self imposed challenge for these Friday sessions is to complete a painting so I am much more thoughtful in my color choices and stroke decisions. In doing that, the work retains a freshness.

1-22-16  Sunflowers, pastel, 7 x 5 inches

sold

Acrylic fun

My morning hours in the Studio today with acrylic were actually fun and my opinion about the medium is changing. As I continued work on the old house with fire hydrant, I am becoming familiar with the characteristics of this medium:

1. DRIES FAST. Because it dries so quickly (one of my previous complaints), I can rest my hand anywhere on the work to address small details without messing up the paint.

2. MUDLESS. I learned a fresh stroke of paint doesn't mix with preceding strokes and layers creating dreaded "mud." If a color is muddy, it is because I mixed it that way on the palette.

3. DRIES FLAT. I'm using GLOSS medium with the acrylic paint but it still dries looking flat so I am experimenting with applying small dabs of various values and hues next to each other to build up some depth. Also, I hope the final varnish will help.

House with Fire Hydrant, acrylic, 18 x 18 inches, progress continuing.

Acrylic - big ahaa!

In and out of the Studio in one hour this morning (quit while you're ahead) with a pretty big ahaa! In my continuing exploration with acrylic paint, today I am happy.

1. Start with an old, really bad acrylic painting from about 10 years ago (yes, I've WORKED with acrylic before). Use a Sharpie to sketch an idea onto the old painting.

2. Put a blob of white, sepia and black paint on your palette. Put a blob of acrylic medium on your palette. Get an old ratty brush and start covering the old painting.

3. Stand there. Wonder what you're doing.

4. Wonder if you can lift color OFF. Twenty three years ago I was invented my colored pencil technique of lifting color with reusable adhesive. Ten years later, I began to wash ALL pastel off leaving a ghost image to begin again. Another ten years and I began subtracting oil paint with a clean rag or brush in mineral spirits. But acrylic (the regular kind, not Open or Interactive) dries so fast...I spray water and scratch the surface but it is futile. Hmm...what about a razor blade? Voila! I love it.

Now, I know that if an acrylic artist were reading this, they would be laughing at what a Rookie I am. but I'm actually inspired to continue. If you are one of the many who have emailed me with your own experiences and concerns about acrylic, I encourage you to continue exploring. If we can learn to work WITH the medium there might be hope.

Fire Hydrant House, acrylic, 18x18 inches, waiting next step.

Acrylic painging - tiny ahaa!

For a short time today I forgot I was painting with acrylic paint. I mixed acrylic medium to the paint (50/50) and it felt so much more like oil paint. A tiny ahaa! First step was to sketch the house (yes, again) on the acrylic primed stretched canvas. I brushed acrylic medium over the whole thing (smears the pencil but that's OK). Mixed a few colors and added acrylic medium. The FEEL of applying the paint was much improved compared to using acrylics with water. Eliminated that scratchy, raw look of my 1-15-16 version.   

Fire Hydrant #3, 10 x 8 inches, acrylic

Thanks to all who have emailed me with comments about this painting, my process/challenge and their own interest in acrylics. In response to Sandi's question below, here is a photo of the medium I used in this painting. This jar of medium must be 10 years old!

Friday Paintings 1-15-2016

It's about discipline. It's about doing what I said I would do, no excuses. Each Friday I plan to paint two small pastels in a 50 x 50 foot room full of empty tables and chairs, under fluorescent lights. Sometimes there is background chatter of other artists or a group of people playing a game of cards. Today I was alone, committed to paint.

Being there instead of in my studio forces me to work through problems of a painting (and with limited supplies). When I am in my Studio I can abandon a painting if it isn't going well or I can wipe it off and begin again. I can throw it away and start working on something else. But, on Friday afternoons, I hold myself captive and accountable. I think it is good for me.

 1.15.16     Blue House     pastel, 5 x 7 inches
sold

 1.15.16     Gold Creek Lake     pastel, 5 x 7 inches
available for purchase

Acrylic - a little hope

Took a slightly different approach this morning. Sketched the scene (the old house with fire hydrant) again onto a canvas panel. Laid in darkest areas with a palette knife. Sprayed the painting with water. Dragged the paint around for various values. Applied a few details with a small brush. Sprayed it with water. STOP.

Acrylic again, step by step

One of my goals for 2016 is to become familiar with acrylic paint. Why, I'm now asking myself?
I think it is because I have a lot of acrylic paint:  Utrecht, Liquitex, Daniel Smith, M. Graham & Company, Golden and Golden Open and Chroma Atelier Interactive. Am I going to use them or are they just taking up space in my small studio?

I started the year playing with Utrecht acrylics then Daniel Smith and Golden, trying to paint a subject I know well - a still life. I didn't like the way the paint felt when I applied it to the surface and it dried too fast. So I moved on to Open Acrylics which were a little better but I continued to struggle and whine about hard edges and difficulty in mixing color. I watched an online video by an artist using Interactive acrylics and my hope was renewed so I started with a 7x 5 Gessobord® and changed the subject to landscape. Horrible, then OK, then too controlled, painted over it, tried to pull paint back off, changed colors, wiped the whole thing off and began again. Over and over, all day long.

Since the first of the year I've been pushing acrylic paint around on a couple gessoed panels. There has been an abundance of conversation in my studio between me, myself and I. Mostly whining. I've eaten my comfort food (spaghetti) twice, chocolate covered pretzels and homemade chocolate covered marshmallows many times.

Then I changed my approach from more paint to less paint. I started with a 6x6 white Gessobord®, sprayed it with water and started applying strokes of thin color. I was pleased with the interaction between the paint and the water but I can't see myself doing this time consuming glazing to finally achieve what I could accomplish more quickly in another medium.

Today I went back to the beginning and got out my big jars of Utrecht Acyrlics. Before I give these paints away, I may as well use some (again). Here is the story, step by step in photos up to the point where I actually got a little bit enthused and forgot to take photos.

Fire Hydrant, acrylic on canvas, 10 x8 inches

When I began painting in oil with Master Qiang Huang, he encouraged me to keep my first paintings to see, after a period of time, how far I had come. He was right and I'll keep this one for the same purpose.

Two step by steps for Friday

I spent the morning in the Studio on this rainy, rainy day. One of the tasks was preparation for my Friday afternoon painting session. I selected two reference photos, both in the same color palette to minimize the number of pastels needed, put in a few guidelines with a pink pastel pencil and then laid in dry brush acrylic foundations. Just enough information to give me a visual map for pastel work.

There is a house I have been driving past for nine months. The 1949 Chevy is always parked in front, in the same place. I noticed today it has a For Sale sign in the window. I wonder if it runs?

I've painted this scene before. It is a body of water called Gold Creek though it looked like a lake to me when we visited in early spring a couple years ago. Once again, a dry brush application of acrylic for the underpainting. I like the feeling of painting in acrylic on sanded paper but my paint brushes say "ouch."

Sunrise Fog and Morning Fog

Sunrise Fog, step 1

Sunrise Fog, step 2

I'm back to painting at the local Community Center on Friday afternoons. I can usually paint two small pastels in the time I am there depending on how much I visit with the other painters. Each of us have different art journeys but we all benefit from painting together. No one else is painting in pastel so it is fun to show them the relatively speedy progress of the medium as in the step x steps above.

This time I painted two views of our lake (see below).

1.8.16     Sunrise Fog     pastel, 5 x 7 inches
sold

1.8.16    Morning Fog      pastel, 5 x 7 inches
sold

Comfort Painting

Tonight I finally feel I have something to share in a post (besides photos of my comfort food).

I've been painting with acrylic every day, whining to myself about and wondering what I was thinking when I committed to explore acrylics this year. Today I discovered comfort painting - painting in my primary medium, pastel. The strokes came confidently and naturally unlike those awkward, tentative strokes when one is learning to handle a new medium.

Then, I began experimenting with varnishing pastels so they can be framed without glass. If anyone knows about this, I'd love to hear it.

Then, back to acrylic and surprisingly, it was not so bad! See the little slices below. The first two are pastel and the far right image is acrylic. I am overjoyed that it doesn't LOOK like acrylic! Yay, no hard dry looking edges.

 

Day 2, 2016

This is the pile of my comfort food I ate after painting in acrylic for two days. I have nothing more to say at this time.

Day 1, 2016

Day 1, 2016  Getting ready to paint and thanks

I recently read that listening to music on a regular basis can lower systolic blood pressure. That's good. My new Bluetooth speaker is finally paired to my old MacBook Pro laptop in my Studio. I'm listening to favorites through Pandora.

I purchased a few new Rosemary brushes and found my old ones; started pulling acrylic paint and supplies out of storage. Getting ready to paint...

I would like to thank everyone who took a moment to read my last post. I received comments and emails -  words of encouragement and shared experiences. I also received a call from Pamela Harold who received a copy of my post from Sue who received it from Marilyn. Pam and I chatted about how being an artist has changed for us throughout the years. Pam is about 10 years older than I am and she is still going strong; her studio is filled with current work. She is inspiring - see below.

Watercolor by Pamela B. Harold

Pamela B. Harold

Happy New Year

 

Today, at the end of 2015, I am setting goals for the coming year. Perhaps a reflection of my age, I want to spend more time with family and friends and my flower garden. That leaves less time for painting. It has taken awhile for me to figure out the best use of my painting time but I have listed my thoughts below.

1. I find I am no longer as interested in comparing my work to the work of others so I have drastically cut back on entering competitions and exhibits.

 

2. I am grateful for the opportunity to have been represented for many years by six good galleries but I am now reluctant to use my time traveling to the rotate my work so I have “retired myself” from several of the galleries. 

3. Painting pretty pictures has become less interesting to me. I find myself gravitating to the essence and emotion of a visual story rather than a detailed description of each word/stroke. I know how easily I am drawn back into detail and traditional painting. To maintain my focus of how I might paint in the coming year, I have unsubscribed/quit following the online work of many of my peers.

 

4. For each new medium there is a learning curve, then a time that is comfortable with enough surprises to keep me on my toes. That is followed by a settling-in and a productive time when I think of it as my primary medium. This period may last for years but eventually I become bored. I seem to need a new challenge and switching to a new medium does that for me. I like to start a new medium with a know subject so it is only the handling of the medium, not the subject of the painting that I struggle with. I plan to try a new medium in 2016.

5. Painting is a solitary business. Teaching satisfies the need for interaction with other artists and I truly enjoyed my twenty years of teaching workshops. The past few years, I have mentored several students in person and online. I’m still interested in doing that in some capacity for those experienced with pastel. Perhaps a Suggestion Session for paintings near completion?

6. Last Fall I saw a notice in our local paper about a painting group at the nearby Community Center; the group turned out to be two people who paint “for fun.” I spent most of the first session asking myself what I was doing painting there, under fluorescent lights, amidst tables of chatting/card playing seniors instead of in my lovely studio. I was uncomfortable at first; it felt like I was giving a demo that no one was interested in. But once I let it go and focused on my work, I found that painting outside the security of my known space made me a more careful painter. Each Friday for several weeks I painted small pastels that I was very pleased with and I became acquainted with the other two artists whose attitude and perseverance I admire. I look forward to continuing the challenge of painting there.

7. One of my long time goals has been to write a book. I thought it would be about my life based on my nearly fifty years of handwritten journals but earlier this year when I began to review them I realized that to get to the happy and funny parts of my life I would have to plow through the sadness and struggle. I didn’t want to revisit those times so I shredded all but a few journals from the early years when my babies were born. I think a better idea for a book is to focus on my art journey illustrated with images. I’m working on it.

My online presence is important to me both as a communication tool and as a retrospective view. I plan to continue posting on my Art Journal and Golden Years blogs. I also will have paintings available for purchase through several online venues. Thanks to all who have followed my work this year. Let’s keep in touch!

Wishing you a wonderful 2016,

Barbara