I’m crazy about playing with… working with… playing
with different mediums. Sometimes this propensity worries me (ok, I'm a worrier). I recently challenged myself to an experiment. Compare and contrast by recreating one image,
four ways, using three mediums I know plus one new one. I wondered – if I did them all quickly, back
to back – would the experiment reveal one or two that could be abandoned?
I wanted the image to be simplistic/illustrative and I
figured whimsy would be my saving grace.
To that end, I used a silly drawing and painted all three canvases hot
pink before starting. Click on any of these to see larger images.
1. Acrylic. Energy. I’ve enjoyed using acrylics in the Paper
Dolls series, either in the women themselves or as the background for women
painted in oil. Acrylics present my
biggest challenge for loosening up. I
tend to fiddle. I love that acrylics
play so well with others and they dry deliciously fast. But, for the sake of this experiment? Yaaawn.
2. Paper. Possibly my
favorite. I think it’s the graphic
qualities – the images within the image – that lure me back. And it brings out the
hunter/gatherer/collector in me, too. That
aspect is like a bonus. It’s impossible
to be tight with paper – I just have to let those details go and that feels healthy. Focus on finding the values.
3. Oil. A dear, old
friend. I forget how great it is that
oil paint doesn’t dry fast. So
lenient and forgiving. I love the smell of linseed oil and the excitement of
mixing colors in oil – so different from all others. Oil is comfort paint, like Southern cooking.
I considered throwing in a watercolor at the end but I was bored with the experiment idea. The pitfalls of artistic infidelity are not
lost on me but will I throw a medium out?
Doubtful! They are all just too
much fun and one inspires the next! What can I say? I like what I like. Happy creating and thanks for visiting.
