Beginning

Beginning, acrylic, 20x24

Fast away the old year passes! A New Year is about to begin, full of possibilities. Like creating a series of moody, atmospheric landscapes in acrylic. Which is my plan for 2008. I keep asking myself why I would want to put aside oils and start this whole new direction. There are a couple of reasons. One is that I'm less able to tolerate the cold so plein air painting through the winter is probably not going to be a reality this year. I am planning to do some painting from my car though, and will use watercolors for that, as I find that the easiest medium in such cramped quarters. Second, I'm getting effects with acrylics like scumbling, glazing, layering that I really like. While I can get those some effects with oils it requires a lot of waiting as layers dry and I'm not very good at waiting, preferring to work alla prima even for larger works when possible. Third, I'd like to explore a more tonalist palette of colors and really hone my skills at creating atmosphere and light effects, think Turner, and right now acrylics seem best suited to that end. So there you have it, a manifesto for a new direction.