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Acrylics Anonymous, Issue #112 -- Let's Abstract Ourselves March 01, 2022 |
Passionate about painting with acrylics? Need a monthly fix chock full of inspiration? Need some help to take the pain out of your painting process? It's all here for you. Acrylics Anonymous. Zero elitism. Dive in. If you enjoy Acrylics Anonymous, and you know someone who might also enjoy it, you can share by forwarding it to your friends! If you are receiving this because a friend has forwarded this to you, and you would like to subscribe, click here! 
Every month, we will produce a Subscribers Only "sealed section" - just keep scrolling to see it. It could be a painting technique, a short video tip, or anything we can think of that we reckon you might enjoy. Please let us know what you think, we love your feedback! To leave comments, contact us here.
Click here for the tutorial! Don't forget your code HOTCHIP
Break It Down. Look at the image you want to paint with an efficient eye. By that I mean, distill it down to its basic elements. Even a complex scene like a sunrise over beachscape can be hinted at with minimal work. 
Workshop Esk, QLD We are coming back to Esk for the weekend of the 9th-10th April. More information coming soon!
Check this page for updates and to join our workshops mailing list!
Bloopers! We know it's been a while since we've released anything on Youtube. It's a juggle! Here's some new outtakes and funnies to tide you over :) Click here for a laugh or two!
Meet Inga! Here's Inga with her winning painting from our "Landscape With Lake" competition held back in 2019. Inga actually won a day in the studio with Mark but seeing as she is from The US and then Covid hit, she opted for the original painting prize instead! Here's a few words from Inga: "My name is Ingrid, I live in Southern California and I work as medical professional. In my spare time I learn how to paint. Mark Waller is my first art teacher. My first painting was a sunset gradation of colors. I’m so happy that I won the contest and received Mark’s original painting." See what you can win just for being involved :) 
Every month, we choose an Artist from our
forum
to showcase. You can even nominate someone if you like. (Or yourself!). To do this, check out the forum and then send us an email! It’s that easy. This month we're featuring artist Lauren deSerres, from Pittsboro, NC with her painting,"Taming The Sea". Thanks so much for sharing this with us Lauren, a glorious job you have done with your painting! Click here for more information on Lauren's "Taming The Sea"
Devon Rodriguez is an American artist and painter from the South Bronx, New York City. He initially gained recognition for painting a series of realistic portraits, on the New York City Subway system. Check out some of his works here! Kamwei Fong is a Malaysian artist, he works mainly on the animal world, and his creations are often described as poetic, humourous, imaginative, playful and dream-like. The Furry Thing is a series of furry animal illustrations first created by Kamwei inadvertently back in 2009. Using only black micro pigment ink, Kamwei has created a menagerie of playful kitties, doggies and other animals. Check out his work on instagram here! If you have a link you like, please share it with us! You can contact us to let us know. Thank you! 
This is the section where you can "get your name in lights!" (well at least out there in the internet world!).If you have works in progress you would love to show off, or finished pieces you are particularly proud of, we would love to see them! We especially like to hear about the story behind the creation. This month's submission comes from the lovely Jenny Schirmer of Smoky Tea Studios, a talented ceramicist and artist; all round awesome human as well as a member of our Lennox Arts Collective :D From Jenny: "Starting a painting usually comes from a desire to move paint around and play with colours and shapes. I rarely have a specific plan, in fact if I have an outcome in mind I won’t ever start!
I had a pair of canvases that I wanted to try and a couple of colours in mind for these pieces. First up are washes using colour to makes shapes that may influence the final composition of the work. Even in the early stages I am playing with contrast. Light dark, matt/translucent… I use a variety of different acrylic paints with a matt medium.
If I have a new colour (like my jacaranda purple!) I’ll try it here to see how it interacts with the other colours. These paintings were great because they looked terrible through all these early stages!
I find it a bit stressful if the work starts out looking good because every time I touch it I’m scared I’ll ruin it completely. One of the most difficult lessons I’ve had to learn in painting is that sometimes the only way to make a painting work is to let go of your favourite parts.
The shapes and colours came from found objects and other bits of pieces I had in the studio but as it developed, I found that what was on my mind was a recent trip to Sydney. Architecture is often an influence for my work, in ceramics, assemblage and painting.
We had a dynamic and joyful stay in The Rocks with a roof top pool so a combination of the harbour bridge pylons, and rounded rectangles of Sirius started to creep in amongst my favourite colours. The contrasts continue…
texture was added using textured medium and a few pencil lines to add structure around the more organic shapes. Lots of layers mean that some shapes that seemed important are now a faint trace.
After a while nothing is irritating me anymore and there is more looking and less painting. It might take a day (or a year!) but the last final touches are usually small and necessary, to ensure it feels balanced. These only took me a couple of days and I’ll finish them with a wax varnish when they’re completely dry." “The Rocks I” and “The Rocks II” Acrylic on Polycotton 60cm x 50cm
Thanks so much for sharing your process Jenny! Make sure you're following Jenny's socials for all the good stuff. Click here for her instagram And click here for Facebook We hope you enjoyed this issue of Acrylics Anonymous! If you have any suggestions, comments or feedback for the ezine or our site, please don't hesitate to contact us. Until next time, make sure you stay safe and well, and don't forget to chuck some paint around! Cheers from Frankie & Mark :) For our Youtube channel, click here. To join our Youtube channel as a member for a few bucks every month (in exchange for even MORE awesome perks, click here. For our Instagram, click here. For our Website, click here. For our Facebook page, click here. For our Pinterest, click here. For our Tik Tok, click here. |
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