Many mediums are fun as well as challenging to work with. Watercolors happen to be a favorite of mine for the intricate, slow, and patient details I can create. They are a way to escape into a different world for moments to hours a day and get lost in thought. Acrylic is a medium I tend to paint at a quicker pace only because of the drying time. Each medium is layered with texture, however, with acrylic I can build designs, hills, and valleys that can be touched or felt. Watercolor is different in the sense that I create the illusion of hills, valleys, and depth but they are flat to the touch. This new series on the in depth look at Red Rock Canyon’s plants, formations, and animals is being created with acrylic paint. The focus of each individual original painting is movement, color, texture, and transitions.
I chose to show close ups of the paintings and represent the texture being painted. All the paintings are taking multiple hours to create, drying time, and a build up of texture to entice the senses. I wanted these paintings to be interactive not only with the mind but for people who like to look closely at the canvas and see the layers. 10 paint brushes were used for each 12” x 12” painting. They are created on stretched canvas over a ½” Stretcher Bar. I decided to use the thinner canvases so people can frame them or hang them on their wall as is. These paintings were a joy to create and I am excited to write more about the individual works once I release them on my website. It is quite enjoyable to post sections of the paintings as I work while looking forward to showing you all the finished products soon!
-Karen Hilliard