Petite Nude

Petite Nude 7x5 oil on stretched canvas

After working a great deal in acrylics, I'm getting back into the swing of using oils again. This is just a little nude, only 7 x 5, done in water-mixable oil on canvas.

Fruit and Bowl

Fruit and Bowl 8 x 10 oil on stretched canvas

This is water-miscible oils on stretched canvas. I've not used my oils in a while, but lately had a hankering for that soft, juicy texture. The subject is a familiar favorite, but what I painted was beside the point. It was the medium not the message that concerned me. I wanted to 'play' with oils for a change.

I paint a lot in acrylics, and there's so much about them that I like. Clean up is quick and easy, no solvents needed, and layers can be added in minutes. Even painting white over black is no problem. I use heavy body acrylics, and keeping them from drying on the palette can be a battle. I get focused on the painting and forget to "spritz" with my spray bottle. The stay-wet palettes don't work for me. In spite of my efforts to get just the right degree of moisture, my paints soon become too fluid.

So, every so often I long for the buttery richness, and slower-drying blendability of oil paints. But since I'm spoiled by the easy clean up of acrylics, I reach for my water-miscible oils.