P
AINT HAS MA R. V ELO US PR.O P ER. TI ES. It can slide, it
can drip, it can spatter, and it can crawl. It can pool and puddle,
bloom and blossom, shine and sparkle, veil or reveal. As a sub-
stance, it is both sensuous and practical. I discovered paint relatively late
in life and I have been in love with it ever since. I began as a watercolorist,
enjoying its fluidity and transparency; became an oil painter, reveling in its
richness; and eventually discovered the versatility and forgiving nature of
acrylics. Being self-taught, I was astounded at what I could get away with
in acrylic painting. Make a "mistake"? Cover it up! Light colors over dark?
No problem. Transparent or opaque? The choice is yours. Like to paint fast?
It dries quickly.Mixing media has become very popular lately, but it's really nothing new.
Degas, Picasso, Kurt Schwilters, Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns,
Joseph Cornell have all mixed their media creatively. When we were
children, didn'l we grab just about anything thal would make a mark on
paper in order to express ourselves? Self-expression is what creativity is
all about, but as adults we tend to worry about sticking to the "rules."
While my own attitude is that rules are made to be broken, I am aware
that to do so requires a certain amount of confidence. In chapter 2 , I
demonstrate several different approaches to composition, giving you a
wide choice and, in the end, encouraging you to be yourself. In chapter 3,
I take a look at the elements of design more as a way of sparking ideas
than of blinding you with science.
In this book I will demonstrate how to use paint, crayons, colored pencils,
oil pastels, pens, acrylic mediums, found images, photographs, fabric, and
wax to create vibrant and colorful works of art. Sometimes I will mix five
or six media for a multilayered look. At other times I may use only two or
three. Usually it' s a pretty messy business, so put on your old clothes,
clear a space on the countertop, and let's get started!8 I CREATIVE PAINT WORKSHOP
RIGHT: Addition,
Ann Baldwin, 15" x 11"
(38.1 x 27.9 cm), collage,
ink, acrylic. oil pastel.