Nancy Reyner - AcrylicWorks--The Best of Acrylic Painting. Ideas and Techniques for Todays Artists

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Contents

Stones of Fire II , Nancy Reyner

Acrylic and gold leaf on panel, 23" 41" (58cm 104cm)

Each of us has the ability to bring creativity to all we do. I am grateful for those who choose to express themselves through making art. Powerful art allows us to feel a connection to others, to humanity and our culture. Art adds a great deal to my life experience both viewing and making it. So I was pleased and honored to jury artwork for this book.

While some art books focus on a specific subject matter or style (e.g. still life, landscape, abstraction, etc.), this book focuses on a single medium acrylic. And what a medium! Acrylic is extremely versatile and capable of an incredible spectrum of effects and techniques. An appropriate analogy is to compare acrylic paint to all other mediums just as Photoshop compares to a typewriter. Even though acrylic can imitate other art mediums such as oil, watercolor and encaustic (wax), it goes way beyond by offering unique effects only possible with acrylic.

And so I embarked on this jurying journey, hopeful that the submissions would enable a diverse selection, fitting for this king of mediums. My prayers were answered at first sight of the submitted artworks. How delighted I was to view the impressive variety of styles, techniques and subject matter! In selecting works for this book I was foremost interested in demonstrating this diversity, convinced that this could help dispel a myth that working in acrylic also means the work must be abstract. Both realism and abstraction are represented here along with a wide window of hybrid and experimental styles.

I approached this assignment with excitement and curiosity along with a touch of sentiment as I realized that not all of the deserving works will be able to be included. First I arranged the works into groups representing the wide diversity. The two main categories of style, realism and abstraction, were not enough for this task. Instead I broke these down into subgroups such as color field and non-objective abstraction, abstraction with recognizable imagery, realism with a specific focus (e.g. people, landscapes, animals, still life and objects, architecture). There was an abundance of fabulous images in every category to choose from. In all cases I favored a visible collaboration between artist and medium allowing the medium to show through the imagery. Additionally I looked for a combination of technical skill, unique viewpoint, well-composed arrangement, distinctive spatial qualities and interesting subject matter.

Art enhances our lives. Whether we view it for pleasure or create as artists, art can serve us in so many ways. My hope is that this book will bring to artists and art appreciators inspiration and enjoyment for years to come.

Nancy Reyner

Forever Here , Danielle Richard

Acrylic on linen, 36" 48" (91cm 122cm)

I completed this painting in the theme of remembering. I find that water scenes are great for it. I mostly work with the light coming from behind, probably for the mystery that it brings. Its not always easy because there is often a lack of information in the face, but through the years I have developed some tricks with reflection. I prefer to watch and follow my model, trying to catch the best light in the best angles. Then, an idea comes to life. I know exactly what I want, where I will go and how I will proceed. This painting was born the minute I saw the composition made with her hair, arms and rowing paddle perpendicular with the side of the canoe. I found that the sides of the canoe were like the sides of a shell in which you are secure and predisposed to introversion. My palette was limited to a few colors to keep the image pure and simplified.

Honus Dance, Marco Antonio Aguilar

Acrylic on canvas, 30" 24" (76cm 61cm)

I have developed a deep connection to the endangered green sea turtle, and I love the symbolism that this creature holds in Hawaiian culture. This image is my personal ode to joy and love of the sea. I wanted to express the Honu (as the Hawaiians call him) in a state of joy, basking in the sunlit Pacific Ocean surrounded by moon jellies, one of his favorite foods. I included several bubbles to add the sense of movement. To add to the magical quality of this image, I added lens flare that you would see from refracted light on a camera. This was achieved by placing circle stencils of varying sizes all over the painting and lightly drybrushing color over them.

When painting underwater art, use a coarse brush to lightly splatter the suggestion of sediment in the water. It really adds to that underwater feel.

Marco Antonio Aguilar

Meeting Place, Carol Borrett

Acrylic on canvas, 22" 28" (56cm 71cm)

Water and shorescapes, where the varied textures of land meet the reflections and many colors of water, have long been my theme of choice. After years of exploration with watercolor, I finally broke into the world of acrylics. My work became more bold and vibrant.

Acrylics offer freedomfreedom to rework a piece by adding layers, freedom to use retardants and have more time to work the paint, freedom to experiment with the many other complementary mediums (gels, pastes, glazes, et al).

My process involves taking many photos of a subject to create a composition in my home studio. I often embellish the landscape. In the case of Meeting Place, I was drawn to the familiar relationship of seagulls. They were like two friends meeting over coffee to review the events of the day.

Outside Looking In, Paul Bennett

Acrylic on stretched canvas, 24" 30" (61cm 76cm)

When I first saw this photo I had to paint the scene. The innocence and curiosity of children always seems to give me pleasure. Only two years of painting exclusively with acrylics after a lifetime painting with every other medium at some stage or another, I have found my place. Acrylics allow me to work at a fast pace and to blend or glaze without waiting for paint to dry. I strive for realism in my painting and work always from photos although it may take two or three photos to arrange the desired composition. This does not mean that I paint exactly to the photo but use it as a reference for size and correct shape dimensions. I prefer variety in my painting so all genres such as nature, seascape, landscape, still life and portraiture are targets in my endeavor to improve my skills and achieve a higher standard.