Ripple

"Ripple"

6.5" x 19"

Acrylic

This started out as a poured acrylic painting and I saw water hitting the shore so I added a few details.

Pacific Sunset

"Pacific Sunset"

Image size 8" x 10"

Water miscible oil

This painting is from another morning workshop that I took a few weeks ago.  I worked from the teacher's photo and he was very helpful in directing me to this finished painting.

Early Morning Wave

"Early Morning Wave"

Image size 8" x 10"

Water Miscible Oils

This is a wave study that I painted in a workshop I attended this past weekend.  I like working with water miscible oils because they have very little smell, unlike traditional oils.  I'm becoming sensitive to the fumes from the oil paints and try to limit how much I use them in my studio.  I've been using them in the garage with the doors open when I feel the need to paint with them.

The water miscible oils are a pretty good substitution.  Just like regular oils, some colors are creamier and some are stickier in their consistency.  They look like oils and their workability is very close.  I've been told that they are oil paints that have been altered so that they are able to be cleaned up with water.  I don't know how they do that, but I'm glad they figured it out.  I have been thinning the colors with water when I need the paint to flow better, but apparently, that is not the best thing to do.  I need to pick up a medium to use with them.  Winsor and Newton makes several different mediums in their Artisan line to be used with water miscible oils. 

I'll let you know how that works after I've tried it. 

Cloud Reflections

"Cloud Reflections"

Image size 15" x 15"

Encaustic

I've become obsessed with clouds.  We have been having much more rain this year than usual, and our skies are more interesting, so I've taken lots of pictures as reference for future paintings.

I haven't painted an encaustic since the middle of December so it's time to get back to it.  In December, I switched to paintings that I could work on in my studio (instead of in the garage with the doors open) when it got cold here.  It hasn't been cold compared to other parts of the country, but I am a wimp and I like to be comfortable!