Monday, February 14, 2011

Red Velvet Valentine

Happy Valentine's Everyone! And quick happy birthday shout out to my Dad back in Michigan who has a Valentine's Birthday!  

This morning I thought I'd give my new GOLDEN Open Acrylic paints a whirl and figured something sweet and red would be the perfect subject to post today. I also recently saw a Bobby Flay Throwdown on Food Network with Red Velvet Cake. (Personally, I'd prefer a less sweet pastry like a flourless dark chocolate cake but you have to love the look three layers of crimson against creamy titanium white frosting!). And let's be honest, it's hard to paint baked goods without a bit of Wayne Thiebaud pop art influence.

This was my first go at painting an entire painting with the GOLDEN Open Acrylics and they definitely have a different brush and application feel.  Softer and more blendable, but in thinner applications the paint does start to skin and and set up sooner rather than later, particularly in our very arid climate.

So I don't think the Open Acrylics would really work as an oil paint substitute, at least not for me. That being said the paint has a nice smooth feel and the colors (as with all GOLDEN products) were clean and bright. I'd love to try them in a plein air situation where oils can be rather maddening. And I thought here the paint worked great for the frosting effects which I'm still playing with since it's the best part.

As an artist, I also like to think of today as a joyful celebration of  RED. Depending on your cultural influences, red can symbolize a wide range of emotions and sensory experiences, such as warmth, aggression, passion, romance, blood, danger, etc. So the next time you want to communicate strong emotions in your work or need an stronger focal area consider the wealth of red pigments at your disposal. XXOO. 

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