I’m back to acrylics and loving it!

My friend Antigone, who owns a framing shop, gave me small pieces of matboard to paint on, all cut to approximately 4in x 8in. Nice and stiff, with a slightly ribbed texture, they’re ideal for small paintings, almost miniatures.

I gotta say, working small suits me, though I enjoy working large as well. I’ve mostly always worked large, preferring A3 and up in size, since I use pastels and charcoal, ’cause I can use my entire arm to create my marks.

The tactile element has always been a big thing for me, going back to my printmaking days where I learned to use the ball of my hand and french chalk to wipe my plates, not like the kids at art school who used pages from phone directories… philestines…

Then of course, working with pastel means I not only use my hand/arm to draw, but my fingers and hand to smudge and blend.

I love ‘feeling’ my work. I’m even doing it with acrylics now, using my hand and sponges on the larger canvases, my fingertips on the small paintings.

Working small is what I do with the marbles and rocks I paint. They are a totally different ballpark of course, they don’t absorb paint, I put it on and let it dry before adding another layer of colour. With the acrylic, it dries fast so I layer it more than blend. I have bought a slow drying medium which I won’t try till I get to my own studio (ie my kitchen/living room)… I’m used to living amongs my art… my mother isn’t!

z