On Acrylic: One Year In
It’s almost impossible for me to wrap my head around the fact that I just started seriously using acrylic paint only a year ago. Now, that is somewhat disingenuous - I have used non-wetting paints relatively extensively, ie. acryla gouache. There is an important distinction, though, because you’re not going to paint something huge with acryla gouache….at least I’m not going to. Those little tubes are expensive! Plus, they’re much more suited to working on paper than something like canvas - wood panels work ok with them though. There’s just something about heavy body, or even fluid acrylics that is just different to me. I think it comes down to a simple mindset shift - that I’m a fine artist. I know it sounds kind of dumb, but labels for me have been really important. When I was in high school, I knew that I had some kind of urge to make things, but I simply didn’t have the vocabulary to articulate what that meant or what I would have to be to do that. I went with Graphic Design initially, partially to convince my parents I could make money with it (lol.lmao.) but the design thing never really panned out for me. At the time at least I just followed the motions and got the degree while secretly painting and taking illustration and printmaking classes - absolutely loving every moment of those classes.
There was an experience I had as a teenager where I received one of those ‘art kits’ with all the different kinds of art supplies in a wooden case and of course I tried out all of them - colored pencils, markers, etc. The acrylic paints though, made me so frustrated! I see now that there is a possibility that painting outside in a shed (“too messy to use in the house” - My Mom, probably right) and also in the middle of summer and also with no water at all… So the paint started drying on the brush and the little plastic palette and I tried painting some kind of ogre or something but got really mad and quit. That experience in that afternoon then shaped my perception of my abilities and what I was allowed to do in my head for the next 15 years. That I wasn’t good at acrylics, don’t even try, it’s just not your thing. For 15 years. This is, of course, absolutely idiotic. For whatever reason I just internalized this belief and continued on with it as truth. It’s a funny thing for the human brain to do - just assume things about yourself so much that you don’t even realize you believe them. Part of my untangling of faith and my upbringing and my own identity has been to question myself and really try to interrogate why I believe and do certain things. It’s a tough exercise but ultimately something I think more people should take a crack at - because you can arrive at some really huge monoliths of belief that you just do not agree with anymore. Like not being allowed to use acrylic paints or be a fine artist. It’s sounds silly, but that self-reflection has led to a myriad of revelations about me that have made me so much more comfortable and at home with myself.
This is all the long way around to saying essentially - question yourself. Are there things you do or believe that are just on auto pilot? Some stuff you investigate and discover new things to love about something you already really loved.
Last month Michael’s (the craft store) put all their canvases on sale for 70% off. I bought 10 - the biggest being almost 3 feet by 4 feet. I love painting and took the opportunity to try out not just painting small little panels, but big canvases. I haven’t finished all of them yet, but I’m having a great time. When you learn a little more about how to do something, it turns out it’s not as hard as you thought and might be what you should have been doing all along.
-Matt
I painted a box with random doodles on it - last year around this time
I painted a little dragon - I ended up somehow selling this little guy. I still can’t believe it.
I’ve sold a few works and when someone really genuinely loves a piece and is able to get it - that’s the good stuff. Really helps me get back to work and keep going.
August Dispatch Art - Mail Frog
My monthly dispatch to people who want to know what’s going on with me and my art practice
Hello out there, little mushlings!
I wanted to do a post where I talk some about the art for this month’s newsletter - and I guess a kind of meta-analysis of where I’m coming from with it and what I intend to do.
I hope you’re all out there having a great Summer so far! Here in WV it seems like it’s rained every other day. Honestly it’s rained more than it feels like it ever has in my life, but I like the rain. Unfortunately my tomatoes got some black spot fungi on them and I don’t know if they’ll produce more than a couple from all the leaves falling off. Apparently when it rains a lot the dirt splashes up and the fungi that live in the dirt start doing their thing on the leaves, except they’re still living and not just lying on the ground. A fickle beast, that fungi.
We planted tomatoes, purple hulled peas, cayenne peppers, poblano peppers, and a couple butternut squash plants. It’s the first time I’ve really had a garden just for myself and it’s been really nice to go up and see it every day or so.
Your eyes do not deceive you, that tomato weighs over 2 pounds! It was also extremely delicious (had to ripen in the window for a couple days after this)
Anyhow, I painted this image a month or so ago and with all the shows this month and different things happening I just never got the newsletter launched. I really wanted to get it done for August though, so I can get into a rhythm with it.
There are a few reasons I really have been wanting to do the newsletter/blog combo every month and I’m really excited about it! I think it’s going to be great. For one - it’s a prompt every month with a deadline, something that will force me to sit down and get something done for it, prep the email, write, etc. All of that is very easy to push off and kick the can and wait until later - but that just keeps moving further out and it doesn’t get done. The other reason is really just that, well, social media is just the pits lately. I mean more the pits than usual haha it’s harder than ever to just get people to actually see the work I’m doing and places I’ll be and everything and this is just a direct line to whoever wants it. Once a month I’ll let you know what I’m up to, and there’s nothing they can do to stop me! Another kind of meta-reason is that there just isn’t that many words on my website, and the data for the search engines kind of need words to associate you with stuff. Like me saying in this sentence that I paint fantastical little frogs delivering mail in gouache makes it more likely people looking for that kind of thing will stumble across me. A broad net, but everything helps!
Anyway, on to the art!
I took a couple of stabs at different creatures and eventually settled on a frog. I don’t know why, but all I want to draw are frogs this year. Just little guys. Obviously it’s been a little bit since I was originally going with ‘Spring News’. This follows how I make almost everything these days - the only thing missing is the original sketchbook doodle that I actually gave to someone when they bought a piece at my table. They just really liked it! I usually will work something out digitally and when I’m happy with the general elements I’ll start messing around with paints and crayons and pencils. Kind of like a sculpture needs an armature, if I have a solid drawing to work from I’m off to the races, usually. I’ve been really wanting to do more abstract backgrounds that I actually find interesting to look at this year - I’ve tried solid blocks of color and that’s just too boring, and when I try to put them in a whole scene I just get too lost in the details. Plus, as an illustration it just needs to get the point across and everything else is kind of a distraction. Frog delivering mail - in and out haha saves me a lot of frustration as well.
I think this is the general timbre of what I want blog posts to be for me, more or less. A long form way to just talk to people who want to listen, I guess. What’s going on with me, how I’m making stuff, where I’m at, etc. I’ve got another type of post I’m planning to do where I’m doing more of a tutorial type of thing, focusing on technique or thought process with my art practice.
I’m off to make sure this newsletter isn’t a complete disaster, then on to more painting! Bye y’all!