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Currently I use Liquitex heavy body acrylics.  When I switched from using oil paint, I read some reviews and gave them a shot. I liked them, so I stuck with them.  I can't claim to have used all the premium brands and selected this one over the others.  Because acrylics are synthetic, I believe the quality and price range is tighter than with oil paints.  The available colors choices for acrylics are vast, probably too many. I'm not sure which of a certain shade would work best when I look at the options, so I just stick to what I...

I find all my frames at thrift stores, estate sales, and occasionally antique stores. I pick them up as I go, and maintain a large collection in my basement. Most people view frames are disposable, they are simply what holds the picture.  So at an estate sale, the frame is worthless, you are simply buying what it holds. Unfortunately though they won't sell just the frame.  At thrift stores, frames are a few bucks each. Most are garbage, but there are so many that I can usually walk out with a few. I prefer older, ornate frames, with rococo or...

I have used most traditional surfaces to paint on over the years.  Currently I use masonite wood panels, for several reasons.  It is light and can be cut to size for any frame.  This is important, as I frame all my paintings, and a lot of frames are old and have odd sizes.   Weight is crucial, as I have to carry bins of paintings to and from art fairs.  Masonite has no texture, it is very smooth.  When I used canvas, I never liked the threads that people associate with traditional paintings. I remember at one art fair I saw...

The hardest aspect of being creative is trying to do something unique.  When I first started painting I emulated the artists that inspired me the most.  I tried to use my own subject matter and stayed away from things my favorite artists liked to paint, fearing that I would be seen as copying.  No doubt these artists started the same way, but in the end achieved a certain look that identified them.  I could view a painting by one of my favorite artists I had never seen before, and know who painted it.  My subject matter has changed over the...