This is my second adventure in acrylics, a painting of my granddaughter, Lois. I think the acrylic quick drying property makes me work looser and ‘rougher’. There is not so much time to adjust and fiddle! I’ve added layers of course, but the smooth gradations that are easy in oil are difficult here.

I love the vibrancy of the colors.

Acrylic 9 x 12

I decided to try out acrylics as an oil alternative. I was given some Daniel Smith acrylics a few years ago (no longer made) and most of them are still in usable condition.

Over the summer I read Capturing Light in Acrylics by John Hammond, which I found very inspiring. I love his colors! (I found it first in a used bookstore on Portsmouth, NH asking price $30!) I ordered it on inter-library loan and enjoyed reading it.

I painted this picture with a burnt sienna wash undercoat and a burnt sienna monochrome underpainting. For a few days I could not decide how to paint the background, but after considering something much darker, settled on this green pattern of light.

The subject was my daughter, enjoying the feel of her new dress-up ballerina costume!