Painting on a toned surface

50 Cents, farmers market still life with contre jour lighting (back lighting). Acrylic on canvas board, 20 x 16, Kit Miracle

My studio is an old summer kitchen about 30 feet from the back door. It was built to keep heat out of the house, therefore it is not insulated. In the winter I often work with a hat, two pairs of socks and multiple layers of clothes. Despite the old leaky building, I worry about breathing paint fumes from the oil paints. Even though odorless turpentine is supposed to be, well, odorless, it isn’t. And even if it were, I would still be exposed to the fumes. Not good.

So when a friend recently gave me several canvas panels, I decided it was time to try something new. These panels are all 16 x 20. I don’t usually use canvas panels this large but why not?

I decided to work on my acrylic painting skills and toned several of the panels in red. (See the links at the end of this post for other pages about using toned canvasses.) I like using red as little bits peek out, adding a lot more life.

At the Flea Market, acrylic on canvas board, 16 x 20, Grafton, MA Kit Miracle

Acrylic paint has some of the best and worst properties of watercolor and oil paint. It is water-based and dries quickly. It is also has the opacity of oil paint along with texture. But it requires a lot of planning and forethought before you can even begin the painting process.

Farmers’ Market Bounty – in process. Notice the loosely drawn vegetables. The actual painting is much more vibrant than the photo shows.

Farmers Market Bounty, acrylic on canvas board, 16 x 20, Kit Miracle

These four paintings were created relatively quickly. I deliberately used larger brushes and aimed for the feel of the subjects rather than fussing over too many details. The subjects were from photos that I took at some farmer’s markets and flea markets last year. I also thought it would be interesting to paint some crowd scenes. Anyway, I’m pretty pleased with the results.

Check them out below. Check out my Etsy site for more details photos. Yes, they are for sale.

I always welcome feedback.