Acrylic

Because so much of the year I rely on air conditioning to be able to enjoy the tropical sunlight of Florida, acrylic works well for me. Modern paint technology has made the colors on a par with the oils traditionally available, but there is a danger of not having time to mix colors before they dry so quickly. While that is solved with gels, the plus is that I can create at the “breakneck” speed which I love so much, as I work kinetically. By that, I mean the ideas and connections occur so quickly that, like playing the organ or piano, my hands and body are very active. Because acrylic paint dries so quickly, many layers can be built up in, say, an hour; whereas in oil we are talking days or even weeks. And you can add almost anything over acrylic, including oils. Also, if I add water I can get a great watercolor look that can be worked over without water dissolving the application.