Acrylic or Pastel: Should I Paint? Or Should I Paint?

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      Acrylic and Pastel, so alike, but yet so different. Acrylic paints weren’t invented until early in the twentieth  century whereas pastels, despite their limited use, have been around for centuries. Oils, Acrylics, Water Colors, and Pastels are made from the same pigments but combined with different binders. The binder for acrylic paints is an acrylic polymer which is actually much safer than the traditional binder and solvents used in making oils. To me—oils are just too toxic—but with acrylics, I can get the same affect without the allergic reactions definitely a win.
     Pastels are slightly different than oils or acrylics. They are made from the same pigments but are combined with the minimal amount of binder; just enough to turn this loose powder into a hard stick. Once this pigment is formed into a stick of pastel it becomes the equivalent of a brush filled with paint. A stroke with the paintbrush or with the pastel stick—there is no difference, it is simply the manipulation of spots of color. For this reason pastel pieces are paintings not drawings.

     There are few pastimes that I enjoy more than painting. By spreading paint across a canvas I feel that I can push my life beyond the physical boundaries of this world into the realm of pure creativity. It is a space without limits or definition. A place in time where I create that which I dream to exist. Painting, to me, either in acrylics or pastels, can become a spiritual act but in it’s most basic form it simply defines who I am.

     What I paint is not as important as that I paint but looking at my portfolio one will notice that my primary subjects are landscapes. Personally, I like urban landscapes best but since they tend to be so detailed and precise they require a longer investment of time and are usually on my easel for over a year. Although I am not personally interested in portraits I do occasionally include people in different pieces. Animals, wild and domestic, also make an appearances in my artwork. But, like I said, it doesn’t matter what I paint—I just want to paint.