Acrylic technique
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| ACRYLIC TECHNIQUE The acrylic technique, used in most of my realist paintings, uses a process of layering brush work, applying thin layers of transparent paint, gradually building up definition and contrast. The acrylic paint, natually thin and transparent, is used much like an egg tempera technique, whether working on canvas (see detail of Broken Dam on left) or working on paper; the paper allows more of a watercolor method in the early stages of the painting's development. Many painters consider the thin viscosity of acrylic to be a disadvantage, this disadvantage compounded by rapid drying. For me these characteristics are advantages. The viscosity necessitates a thin application which accelerates the evaporation of water, thus rapid drying. The rapid drying allows paint to be applied over and over in a single area, within a brief time period. In applying many transparent strokes to define shape, the defining process models–with facets– rather than blends, as would be the case with oil paint. Apparent gradients are in fact hundreds of individual brush strokes, many strokes subordinated to the larger gradient, but many of the strokes seen, this producing a surface activity that restates the look of nature in the complexity of the paint surface–a kind of visual metaphor. In the end, the thin application of transparent brush strokes, applied over and over, provides the illusion of paint body, without an actual build up of paint. Conversely, the desired blending available in oil paint, tends to generalize the painting subject. This acrylic technique builds complexity into the painting surface from the beginning, producing a paint surface that "stands for" the infinte diverstiy that is seen in the natural landscape. A disclaimer: this technique evolved over time from the doing and from necessity. It is an approach that has produced certain results for this painter. Of course, acrylic can be used in many different ways, as can oil. In the end it's about the imagery, not about technique– and what the imagery contributes to visual arts culture. |