Artists develop special relationships with their chosen mediums and it’s exciting to know how and why they select the ones they do. An artist may choose a particular medium and remain with it for a lifetime, while other artists may begin new relationships as their artwork evolves. Each medium offers a myriad of different technical and creative advantages as well as challenges. I recently asked The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS artist members of the online art gallery to tell us what they love about their favorite medium and reasons for using it.
Artists are presented in the order in which they submitted their replies. Please visit the artists’ pages, visit their websites, and contact them directly to purchase their artwork.
Dorit Brauer
Oil is my preferred medium as it takes months, sometimes up to a year, to create one painting. Taking time and slowing down is an important contrast to our fast-paced world. I love the deliberate contemplation of each next step of evolution, which then bursts out onto the canvas with spontaneity, lightness and playfulness.
Andre Chatelain
I am an oil painter artist. My medium of choice is oil on canvas. I love the richness, the feeling, even the smell of oil. I challenge myself with the old-master’s technique with a personal and contemporary touch.
Andrea Robinson
My favourite medium is oil paint because of its vibrant colour. Typically, oil paint has more pigment in it which gives it its rich colour and whether I am using thin transparent layers or thick strokes, my paintings have depth and look lush and alive. Oil paint is forgiving, and I can paint over the top of anything that I believe needs changing. This works with my serendipitous nature of painting directly on the canvas rather than rigorously planning my paintings. I use medium gels so I can wash my brushes in water, and no varnishes are required.
Agnes Jorgensen
My favorite medium is oils. I love the buttery, creamy texture and how I can apply layer upon layer of rich, vibrant colors with soft gestures to reveal illuminating effects. Working with oils also gives me the flexibility of applying thick layers of paint with a palette knife.
Peter N. Van Giesen
I have grown to love work with professional grade acrylic paint – so vibrant and highly adaptive.
Roopa Dudley
My favorite medium is acrylic. I started using it in 2011 because it is environmentally friendly unlike oils which until that time has been my preferred medium for many years. I also suffer from asthma and refuse to wear gloves when painting which is not prudent if you are using oil Paints high in lead, cadmiums and other toxic chemicals. In my case, it really was a win win situation. I also quickly discovered to my delight that acrylics dry much faster and has the gouache like opaqueness to it with permanency which was an added plus. For the type of paintings I do, acrylic is exactly the medium for me.
Karen Johnston
I love painting with acrylics! Years and years ago I painted in oils, but when I started having children, I didn’t want the fumes and chemicals around all the time. I transitioned to a more family-friendly medium and have never looked back. I enjoy the variety that is available with acrylics in color, opacity, thickness, and sheen. The fast-drying time is a huge bonus, too. Glazing, layering and adding in mixed media couldn’t be easier. I feel like I am always able to incorporate new things, experiment, paint on different surfaces, and remain inspired with these paints.
Beth Sheridan
My photography mimics my life philosophy: focus on what is important; capture the good; develop from the negative; and if things don’t work out, take another shot at it; in the end it is all a beautiful process.
Sandra Belitza-Vazquez
My camera is an extension of me on an endless journey of discovery. The discovery of the design in nature and how man incorporates that into human-made structures. The discovery of the diversity of life on earth. The discovery of the differences and similarities of the world’s cultures. The discovery of the precariousness of life itself, and possibly the most important, the discovery of how to maintain memories of people, places, and things through time. The camera lens reveals details upon inspection of the image that allows for introspection, study, and understanding of a moment in time.
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