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| Closeup showing Zinc White texture |
It may not be evident in the photos but my abstracts have passages of extremely thick paint. I tried such thickness with oils and found the paint dried with an excessive and aesthetically unpleasant crinkling–and in many cases the paint isn't even dry all the way through and won't be for years. By adding a variety of additives to acrylics I can get the paint as thick as I want–to the point of becoming sculptural.
One reality of oil paints is that, given enough time, all oil paintings crack. That is not true with acrylics. In thinner applications I can deal with future cracking in oils because it will be decades if not centuries before any cracks appear.
Generally oil on canvas will crack in 100 years and oil on linen will crack in 150 years. Linen on a reinforced panel is the best option for oils. Oil paintings that use Zinc White, one of my favorite whites, are especially prone to cracking (read article here). If you look at the paintings of skies by the impressionists you will see patches of white riddled with cracks. If they had used Lead White, a white with a more robust paint film, there would be less cracking. The techniques of Maxfield Parrish if painted today could have been done in acrylics–which would have spared them from the cracking that tragically mar his work.
Acrylics will not crack under any circumstances so I can use a canvas substrate (which I like for its light weight), I can use the paint as thick as I want, and I can use Zinc White which I love for its temperature neutrality, semi-translucency, and creamy consistency. I can also add substances such as sand, chalk, and crushed plaster-of-paris to the thick paint to create exotic textures. In oils the paint film might not be strong enough nor able to be reinforced with layers of subsequent mediums.
So are there any drawbacks with acrylics? When I'm painting a landscape I prefer a longer drying time. I also prefer texture that will not diminish as it dries (acrylics tend to flatten as the water evaporates from the paint film). Unlike oils, acrylics can be sanded only with great difficulty. Abstract oils can be sanded to create amazing textures. If a flexible sandable medium could be added to acrylic paint it would be the perfect medium for abstracts.
These are highly personal observations. Let me know how you exploit the contrast of acrylics and oils.
Brad Teare –January 2016
HI Brad:
ReplyDeleteHonestly, they say paint like a rich man, putting out worms of paint and getting juicy! But I always thought you painted (in oils) like a billionaire! All that thick paint can cost a fortune.
RE: Cracking. I've always wondered if you used an internal agent to support internal polymerization (alkyd, galkyd, liquin) to help avoid the inevitable cracking thing.
I used to paint in acrylics many years ago. While there are additives to keep it open, I just always hated the lack of working time and the matte finish.
I'm a fan of oils. Just love them. There's a richness to them. But acrylics (and water color and pastels and so many other mediums) can be used to create wonderful works of art.
My favorite thick painter, besides you, was Howard Behrens. He'd trowel it on with a palette knife. I saw his works in R/L when he had his Monterey/Carmel Gallery. Just amazing. DOn't know how he dealt with drying, cracking, but I'm sure he must've done something.
Anyways, I enjoyed your post today. I think we all explore different mediums. Me, I'd like to try encaustics at sometime. But i think I've found my home with oils.
I do paint like a billionaire, especially with acrylics. I say if you connect with a certain medium just go for it. I think oils can be really amazing and will never abandon them when I'm doing landscapes.
ReplyDeleteCracking seems to get worse in oils the thicker the application, although I suspect that if you use sun oil that has been cleaned I suspect it is a lot less.
Thanks for your comments, Bob.
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