Painting in Open Acrylics

I have been training myself to paint in acrylics, in preparation for our trip to Peru  I have acquired a 6x8 Thumbox Guerilla Easel.  It's very fun to use.

I am combining Golden Open Acrylics with regular ones to get blending with fast drying.  I got a couple of sample sets that have 22 ml tubes--just right for travel.  So far, I still battle the regular acrylics drying too fast in the New Mexico dryness, but I am learning to tweak them in combo with the Opens.  Here's hoping--we are leaving soon!

I painted this 8x6 experiment of Yarrow on linen today in not too much time. I am getting faster!:

I find I like using a palette knife, as the texture seems better, after putting in an underpainting.  Let me know what you think. 

Experiment with Open Acrylics

Spicy 14x11 acrylic

Friday, I borrowed some Golden Open Acrylic paints from my friend and partner in crime, Sue Parry.  This poppy was the result, after a bit of fiddling with the paint and learning the "feel" of it.

I chose to paint a familiar subject, with lots of color, using a black-gessoed board.  I am rather pleased with the result, but the jury's not in on the paint, yet.  I think I still need to know more and use it more before I decide.

The advantage of the Open Acrylics is that they are workable much longer than traditional acrylics.  They are also a bit more blendable.  The paint doesn't dry out on the palette, even after being uncovered for two days (which I did to thicken it up a bit).  The paint on the board does not dry completely for one to several days, but then is just like regular acrylic paint.

Stay posted for more research on the paints.