Acrylic, Yes!

At first, I took oils. I loved the smell and the feel of the rich paints, but they were a real problem for me. My works in progress were very hard to transport, and so were the paints themselves. I ruined a few dresses, and, since I was working part time at a cafeteria for less than minimum wage, that was a hardship!

Then, acrylics showed up in the student store. Ah! I was saved! These wonderful paints could create impasto effects and glazes, but they were dry enough to transport in 20 minutes. I no longer needed linseed oil or turpentine. Water sufficed for cleanup and there was a special medium for thinning that also dried quickly.

When I started to paint seriously again after a hiatus, my workspace was the family dining room. There was no place for wet oil paintings. I went back to acrylics, and have never found a reason to regret the decision. Every year, I discover new ways to use these versatle paints. Many of my paintings use a high surface. I paint on canvas, and the results look very much like oil. Will they last? Hey, they use acrylics on houses. I say, hooray for technology!

Plastic

cheap as a bird's song
soft and yielding
as youth and wonder
new as morning
as unfashionable
as everyman's suit,
it is the material
of dreams,
drawn from prehistory.
Who will refuse
such a present?
Not I!