ACRYLIC PAINTS & ME

My friend, Sue, who is my weekly painting partner, introduced me to acrylics two years ago. Until then I was drawing and painting watercolors. No fuss, no major financial commitment, very portable media for my nomadic existence. Sue had acrylic paints in her studio, convinced me that - with "sta-wet" pallete - drying and wasting paint is no longer a problem, and gave me a small canvas on panel to try her paints. I produced this:

This was more a chemical experiment than a painting experience. The result was impressionistic, very different from my habitual realism. I like to stare at it in times of stress.

Since that time, in the past two years, I painted acrylic on canvas as wall hangings for friends and family. Each project was a challenge. First problem was my total lack of experience in painting with acrylic paints. What a chutzpa it was on my part to offer to paint big canvases for people, having had only one chemical experience with acrylic paints? Also, of course, those big canvases had to complement "clients'" dwellings; and the "clients" had to be happy with the result. I had the greatest time with each of these projects, and it gives me tremendous satisfaction knowing that these canvases bring bits of joy into my friends and family lives daily. Here are two of my past acrylic projects in situ:

After Miro, in periwinkle and orange (2-22x28), 2013

Abstract birches in black and white (30x40), 2015

This one is not hanging yet, but will hopefully be up on the wall soon:

After Mondrian, with stained glass window effect (24x30), 2015

A few other small acrylics I painted, in preparation for the above projects and randomly:

I painted this prehistoric hippo after an unknown painter, who decorated the walls and ceiling of a cave in Southern France about 25,000 years ago:

This is my temporary "studio", where I painted the black & white birches and the stained glass tree:

Now, with these two big projects completed, I decided that it's about time for me to learn how to paint with acrylic paints. I found a website of Will Kemp (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ik2gwIAgS1U), who runs an art school from some place in England. He is a wonderful teacher and gives answers to most of my acrylic related questions for free on his site. I decided to paint an apple following his video, and am going to practice more before commiting to another big canvas.... At least I hope so.

An apple (12x12) with oil-like glazes following Will Kemp's video, yesterday!