What Medium To Choose…

Greek Bells

8” x 10”

Oil on Panel

The past two weeks I’ve been finishing up this year’s commissions and installing the last show of 2024. I’ve been so busy with that work and the holiday season that is now upon us, that I needed some time to just paint whatever I want, however I want.

When I feel that way, I usually pick up my acrylics, but I’ve been feeling a little dissatisfied with my acrylic paintings lately. Because of this I decided to work with water mixable oils again. I played with them a few years ago, and the last few months I’ve been itching to play with them again.

The thing is, there are things I love about all mediums and there are challenges with all mediums. I’ll share mine to help you decide which medium you might want to explore. These are just my opinions, not facts, so always take them with a grain of salt and create art you love however you want to create it!

Watercolor

My Loves:
the way the colors blend into each other, the fluidity, the transparency and glazing, it dries fast, the finished paintings are easy to store, it’s my preferred medium for commissions, it’s easy to work with in small spaces, it’s easy to clean up

My Challenges:
the colors are more subtle, once it’s on the paper it’s on the paper - no going back, no white paint, not a lot of fixing unless you add mixed media, requires planning, difficult to get crisp lines and details

Acrylics

My Loves:
the colors are bold, you can build so many layers, it’s messy and freeing, it can be corrected or adjusted at any time, the drips made with a spray bottle, the possibilities for techniques and mixed media are endless

My Challenges:
it dries too fast so it’s hard to blend, the finished painting can look plasticky, you have to be careful how you dispose of the paint and paint water

Oils

My Loves:
the buttery texture, the vibrant colors, the “traditional painting” feel, the way the colors can easily blend into another

My Challenges:
the patience for it to dry for a few days or a week so I can work on another layer, the space for drying and storing it, the toxicity of the mediums (not as much if you’re using water mixable oils), you have to be careful how you dispose of the paint and paint water

As you can see, they’re all so different and for me personally there is not a one size fits all. I’ll always love all the mediums for different reasons. I go back and forth between them, sometimes for months at a time, sometimes within the week. I’ll never be an artist that paints in only one medium.

I paint my commissions in watercolor because it’s what I know the best and I’m confident that the client will like it. I teach in watercolor for a similar reason - I know how to teach it so other people can be better at it. However, when I paint for myself I’m usually drawn to acrylics and oils. When I paint for myself I like to feel free and bold and experiment.

I hope this gave you some insight into which medium you might want to try. Keep in mind that you’ll have your own personal experience. Some of my loves might be your challenges and some of my challenges might be on your love list!

Most importantly, have fun painting!