Share your favorite media or material

Have you ever thought about why you gravitate towards working in certain media or materials?

1. What media or material(s) do you use? Do you work primarily with one media/material or do you combine or use several?

2. When choosing a media or materials what factors come into play when making your decision? (expense, ease of use, space requirements, audience, aesthetics, safety, etc).

3. Do you think the choice of materials says anything about how you approach your work?

While these 3 questions are basic, they are an interesting start in understanding the creative path and why one makes certain choices?

Please include a link to your work or website to share with fellow creatives. Thank you for your participation!

My answers:

1. I use oil paint. This is the primary material i use.

2. I use oil paint because it has a rich, creamy, and malleable texture and it doesn't dry readily and can be mixed while working. It does not need to be covered under glass if a varnish is applied and it can be applied to almost any prepared surface. Also, you don't need that much space to store it and to use it. It has a long life span once applied.

3. I think i use oil paint because i feel i am in control and can get the level of detail i need, you can work slowly at your own pace, and it is easy to set up. Being able to reproduce a range of colors by blending a few basic hues has always fascinated me.

Still Life Oil Paintings

My latest work in oils is a series of Still Life oil paintings.

I am attracted to still life because involves putting together an assemblage of household objects, color, and form into a thematic compositional arrangement.

In many of my still life paintings I use a glass of wine as the main character to personify the human spirit. In addition, I  like the reflective qualities of glass and how it distorts shape, color, and light. I am also interested in the interplay of dramatic chiaroscuro (light and shadow) on shapes and objects.

A number of my still-life paintings are concerned with the simple joys of life, leisure, and contemplation.

For example "Wine Glass, Pear, and Pansy"- is concerned with nature and can suggest spiritual growth or ephemeral beauty.

"Liquor Glass and Pair of Dice" is concerned with leisure time.

It suggests the importance of fun and games or the random or not so random (roll of the dice) experiences in one's life.                                                                  

In some of my still-life paintings I also allude to other artists or art forms to touch upon a specific theme.

                                                
For example in "Wine Glass and Michelangelo" I included two images to represent the cycle of Life and Death, represented by an urn inside a temple and Michelangelo's 'Creation' from the Sistine Ceiling.

These still life paintings are meticulously painted with fine haired brushes and take approximately 4 weeks to complete depending on the complexity and detail of the composition. They are painted on wood panel or art board to ensure the works longevity and they range in dimension from 8.5" x 10" to 20" x 16" inches.

About ACEOs

ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions and Originals".
The standard format is 2.5" x 3.5" inches in dimension - the size of a sports trading card.



ACEOs can be either one-of-a-kind originals using various art media or can be made as ACEO limited edition prints.

These wonderful and affordably priced miniature works of art can be collected, traded for, or simply framed for display.

ACEO Limited Edition Prints

ACEO Print buyers and collectors appreciate the value of a limited edition, thus they are generally made in small editions [10-50]. In addition, they are customarily signed and numbered on the back (for example 1 of 50 or 1/50 for example).

All my ACEO Prints are printed with a Certificate of Authenticity on the back of the card and include the title, date, edition number/size, and signature.

They are printed on acid-free museum quality paper with highest quality archival inks.