acrylics... a new obsession

After the fiasco that was oil painting I was delighted to find that I very much enjoy working with acrylics. Particularly heavy body, and especially with palette knives. I love the textured effect I get when I work only with straight paint (applied with palette knives) and washes. My teacher, Richard Hull, was very encouraging. So much so that my BFA show, which goes up in April, will feature this style of painting.

first attempt at acrylics (applauded for its "naïve" feel... oops?)

second attempt

another attempt... this time with a taser

a piece I did this semester (revisiting the technique after six months of neglect)

They look even more awesome in person. I have others that I'll probably put up once they've been scanned.

oils... and the absurd obsession??

"Oils are so easy to work with and change" they said. "They have such a better quality to them." "I love working with oils!" Lies from the mouths of fools. At least, that's what I thought in last year's oil painting class. A class that I, in kind terms, hated. I couldn't for the life of me understand why people spoke so highly of oils. As far as I was concerned they were hard to lay down and when they did finally get put down they had a hard time staying put. Bristle brushes were my worst nightmare and turpenoid destroyed everything it touched. It also smelled bad. Still does. Hm.
This semester I'm in a plein air class being taught by Dave McClellan. He converted me to the oil side. Working in oils was the only part of the class I had been dreading, but to my delight, it turns out oils are everything they're hyped up to be... and so much more. Maybe I'll put some of my plein airs up eventually. For now, here are some strugglesome pieces from that oil painting class of death.

still-life portrait (inspired by one of my roommates at the time)

reflection (I have a relationship with my Zune that borders on unhealthy)

texture (This isn't a particularly pretty painting, but creating the texture for the canvas was a lot of fun. Let's just say it involved gesso, paper towels, wood shavings and... cake mix?? After an entire year the painting still has a sweet smell to it.)

my first-ever paintings

I thought I'd start at the beginning... with gouache. Who's even heard of gouache?? I certainly hadn't. It was the first type of paint I was exposed to at school. I have to admit-- it was frustrating, but I kind of liked it.

child abuse

jack-be-nimble

unhealthy diet

getting men to attend church

I haven't touched gouache since.