Explorations in new media

This painting here is an exploration in using acrylics. I don’t think that it’s finished yet. This was a first pass. The contour of the hill came from my memory. Without thinking of it, the shape is very similar to Mt. Pisgah. I see it nearly daily while driving towards the freeway and work. It’s often shrouded in fog or clouds and sometimes lit from behind by the rising sun. It’s very often a spectacular and breathtaking view. I guess it’s burned into my visual imagery.

I’m continuing to explore acrylic painting, mostly due to the fast drying time. I had gotten tired of waiting nearly a year to varnish and sell an oil painting. I don’t care for the smell of acrylics and some of the colors are jarringly bright. I’m more used to to the natural colors I’ve chosen from my favorite manufacturer of oils, Williamsburg. They have been bought out by Golden, so I hope that the next batch I buy will be as nice as what I have from years ago.

Despite the difference in smell, I continue to play with the acrylics I have on hand. Some are left over from my grandmother’s stash, so I have no idea how old they really are. The dried up tubes are tossed, but some are still usable. I also have brushes that were my grandmother’s and father’s. I like using tools and supplies that were handled and used by them. There is a very nice continuity about that, especially since both are no longer living.

I also found a stash of silver leaf during our recent kitchen remodel. It was intended for use on Indian sweets. Since it’s not very likely that I will be making burfi, I moved it to my studio. I was trained in gilding frames as a teenager, so decided to incorporate it into my paintings. I like how some pieces were tarnished and some still bright. The dark shapes on the right here are the tarnished silver. I have since sealed the area with a coat of varnish, so that the bright areas should stay that way.

I am finding that layering acrylics, while far different than working in oils, is still satisfying. It’s especially interesting to tint over the silver leaf. I hope to get a few more hours in the studio this weekend for work on these. Tonight, I head to Newport, OR for the opening of the new show at Ozone Fine Art and maybe a nice dinner too.