Breaking up with oils

I sold all my oil paints.  Yup, the picture you see above is now in the hands of someone who will love and utilize them, and I am $300 dollars richer and free to pursue painting without guilt or shame.

(Disclaimer: I know some people LOVE oil paint and may find themselves offended by my take on the medium.  Well, if you love it that is totally awesome.  We all have our own experiences and not every medium is for everyone.  If you get offended easily or have a deep-seated need to defend your chosen medium, or are just part of the offended crew, this article is NOT for you.  If you are cool with other people's experiences, read on my friend!)

Here is the hard truth, I HATED oil painting.  I know, I know, all real artists use oil, it is the tool of the masters and all other mediums pale in comparison, or so is the sentiment. I had fellow artists tell me once you move to the world of oil painting you never go back to acrylic.  So I went in head first, ready to make oil painting a beautiful and life-changing journey.  Well, it has been a journey for sure, but not one I intend to continue. It went from desire to disaster with precision.

I fully admit, the colour expressions, blending and movement of oil are very desirable. So many times I had walked the gallery isles, admiring with awe the breathtaking works of art painted in perfection with this medium of old.  Lifelike portraiture, brilliantly blended plumage of a bird or light-catching glimmer of an eye, rich colours placed wildly, yet with perfection.  Monet, Rembrandt, so many others whose use of oils brought their vision to life both inspired and intrigued me.  I yearned to possess that depth of mastery and felt oil painting was the way to obtain it.  Naively, after a single Bob Ross workshop in a local studio, I decided unequivocally I was going to be an oil painter.  

From the very start, the process of setting up oils came forward as immensely challenging.  Anyone who knows me well knows of my lack of patience and disdain for long and arduous processes.  From smelly mediums to the over an hour brush cleaning affair after every painting session, out of the gate, this medium has poised issues in my ability to freely express myself.  scheduling time for creative endeavours has been a personal challenge as I do my best work when letting inspiration and physical health guide me to pick up the brush.  With oil painting, it is not effortless to just paint on a whim.  Set up, planning, clean up and the huge amount of time for paints to dry and cure was greatly detrimental to me even starting.  Just the mere thought of the preparation process would drive me to the couch to admire the works of others via video platform and all but abandon the actual act of creating anything myself. I found myself frozen creatively.

There are other problems that arose as well.  The health issues, though at times blown out of proportion, need mentioning.  I have fur and feather babies.  My own baby is now an over 6-foot teenager so I initially thought it was finally safe to bring in this medium without health hazard to my beloved child.  I did not, however, take into account that my animal babies are far more devoted to being within my eyesight all given hours of the day.  It is very changing to focus on anything when you have a bird and dog on the other side of your studio door screeching and scratching with fervour to be let in.  Focus is all but shattered by the sound of frantic squawking and barking.  My muses will not be excluded from the creative process and take their positions of inspiration and emotional support very seriously.  The thought of them becoming sick from fumes of thinner or the accidental ingestion of a medium was enough to make me never want to leave anything to chance. This problem again left me in the horrid predicament of setting up and taking down with every single session, no matter how short. I found a budgie feather and seed pile beside my paint tube one morning and it was an instant wake-up call. I did not mention that though the initial smell of the oil paint was something I almost found pleasant (Don't judge) this smell in conjunction with the smells of mediums and thinner soon provided an acute headache and slight feeling of perpetual nausea that added to my challenges.

Let's discuss drying time.  Waiting over a week for a single layer to dry was causing me such frustration I found myself trying to force everything ala prima (In one sitting) and as a result rushing through my piece instead of really focusing and enjoying the process.  The paint would get too thick, too slick too fast.  Again the thought of the burdensome setup and takedown process would have me running from my studio.  Not a great way to grow and flourish as an artist.

The final challenge presented is the actual care and storage of oil paints. It seems nobody talks about how darn messy and kind of gross oil paint is.  It is OILY.  (duh, but it really is gross) Yup, slick, oily mess that envelops everything.  Brushes, cups, easels, tables, you.  The box where I stored the paint soon became a greasy mess and the bottom of every shelf and surface that met these paints had developed a sticky slick.  Yuck.

I know this is a grade-A venting session about oil paint, and I also am aware that when used properly and with love, oil painting is one of the most beautiful painting mediums there is.  I still envy the master's grasp and control of oil and will forever respect anyone who tames this medium to create the magnificent masterpieces we see today.  However, that is not me.  I don't gravitate towards portraiture, love the expressive and painterly application of paints and utilize layering quickly when painting.  I am also a gal who needs quick setup and easy execution and finds watercolour and acrylic absolutely generous in that requirement.  I painted a few pieces in oil I really like and will cherish them.  I kept the water mixable oil paints for if I ever want to give another kick at the can, but for now my appreciation and love of the flexibility of acrylics and watercolours has solidified my faithfulness to those two mediums.  

So after over two years of trying to love the medium of the masters, I finally decided that when something becomes a hindrance to creativity it is not worth pursuing.  It is ok not to like a medium! I banished the guilt of not flourishing with oils, sold my stock and moved on.   As artists, we are always drawn to try something new. There was a real spiritual and creative lesson in this journey I have taken to heart.  Maybe knowing what you like for a medium is part of knowing who you truly are as an artist.  Using the quirks and personality traits you possess as a benchmark to the kind of art medium that you will flourish with is part of the process of truly becoming who you are meant to be as an artist.  This girl's creative juices run on fast set up and application, colourful and non-toxic mediums that allow me the freedom to create fast without pressure, fear or complication.  I leave the challenge up to the act of painting itself, and my pet babies thank me.