About Painting Mediums

The painting mediums I use for artmaking include acrylic, oil, graphite, watercolor, cold wax, and encaustic. I use different mediums for varied reasons. Looking for luminosity, I prefer to

use encaustic because I paint in layers and each layer is visible and helps to create depth of field. It requires a warm studio, heat application, and safety precautions. Encaustic means “to burn in” in Greek, and dates to the fifth century B.C. It is a versatile method of painting with beeswax-based paint melted on a heated palette and fused with a heat gun or blow torch. 

Using braced panels, paper, or another sturdy support, I mix colors, apply wax, fuse, etch, layer, collage, and incorporate found objects. For some projects I use cold wax medium which is beeswax and resin dissolved in  odorless mineral spirits. I add it to oil paint for its ability to add body and translucency.  I also use sand, shells, semi-precious gemstones, costume jewelry and found objects, as well as gold, silver, and copper leaf in my work. 

When I work on portraits, I prefer oil because it dries slowly and affords me time to work on details.I choose my medium based on what I am trying to convey, or ease of use. I travel with watercolors now, although I have traveled with oils or acrylics as well. Plein air painting is easiest in acrylic if working large and watercolor if small. Some paintings I prefer to paint in acrylic because they dry quickly and this type of paint offers a brighter choice of colors.