So far this semester I’d have to say my painting class is my favorite. I’m not suprised. I’m in the art field and this is my only studio course this fall.
When I was younger I painted constantly but only with acrylic. When I first started college my painting professor required us to use oil. I was the only student in my class with no oil painting experience.
Using oil was definitely weird. I was used to painting thin with acrylic. In my opinion it was easy to blend, although some say they prefer blending with oil. I loved that I could work on one corner of my painting for hours, completing every little detail I envisioned in my mind. Using oil took forevvvverrrrrr… It was a sort of patience I was unfamiliar with. The idea of layering and building a picture up was completely new to me then and still is today. I am no longer afraid of oil but I’m learning to experiment with it in my free time.
This semester my professor requires us to use acrylic – hooray! Although I am painting in different ways than I normally would I am still using my beloved painting medium. I’m happy to be learning more. As I hear my classmates complain that they wish it was oil, I’m silently thrilled to be exploring and experimenting with something I used to use every week in my childhood years.
Our first project working in color was to map out the shapes of a still life using hard edges and sharp lines. We could only mix up four colors (of four values) to paint in the shapes with. If two objects standing next to each other were of the same value we were to paint the entire area that one color. It was an exciting assignment for me. I’d never done such a project and being able to correctly assign each object to a particular value group was a challenge. Not one that was incredibly hard, but one that taught me to be more patient with my work. I often rush, doing things without thinking, and then have to go back and correct myself. With this project, I was able to get everything right the first time. I love the finished product. Possibly because I’m obsessed with the colors I created. Someone (me) is ready for fall!
For our second project we were allowed to create five values. My professor suggested to include both warm and cool colors. We were to paint sheets of paper with our invented colors, cut them out, and use matte medium to place them on our canvas. We were collaging. We were still using this color-blocking technique. This piece was definitely more time consuming. I was thrilled with my work during the crafting period but I am pleased with it now, as a finished piece. I am not a huge fan of collage so I think that’s why I was hesitant towards it and maybe why I look at it differently than the painting prior to it.
Our next class we will be working on a project that is a combination of collage and painting. My professor mentioned we will be collaging our canvases and then painting on top of it. I’m really excited to see how this project is going to play out, and to add another piece to my collection!
