The 'Medium' Wars

My response to a recent Flickr thread which can be read in its entirety here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/art_artists/discuss/72157600054391105/#comment72157600061817270

I've just finished reading through this thread and only have a few minutes to respond, but I wouldn’t call Ross the "oil painters God" although watching him turn out "happy little trees" and "happy clouds" was entertaining to say the least.

Now, Merrell, I have to point out that you are seeking to be accepted as an artist who paints exclusively with acrylics. You want acrylics to get the respect that they deserve. You want everyone to recognize the qualities that acrylics posses. You want acrylics; acrylics want you; everyone praise the power of acrylics! Great! But might I suggest that your argument would be much stronger if you eliminate the insults to other mediums while combining examples of brilliant acrylic works, plenty of them exist.

I've used both, in fact started with acrylics. For me, and I mean no disrespect here, oils carried an inherent sort of "ability" clause. In the beginning, I was afraid of oils. Painting with oils seemed to be out of my realm of knowledge and confidence. I was personally more comfortable with acrylics. As I grew and explored other mediums, including watercolors, I found oils to be fantastic and the best medium for me. I'm sure the majority of the members of this group are already familiar with both the benefits and the drawbacks that each medium carries. Choosing which works best for you is part of becoming an artist. And insulting the medium an artist chooses tends to exemplify a lack of knowledge and a lack of the "sweetest, open minded, generous..." qualities that you claim to possess. Your personal choice of medium in no way eliminates the validity of another.

One final thing. You mentioned that oil is: "a great medium for very indecisive, fickle and indeterminate people who need all the time in the world to decide how a paint blend should look. Great for people with poor architecturing skills or who have problems with commitment." Again, your brief period of time exploring what a medium can accomplish shines through in this quote. The long dry time of oils allows the artist an opportunity to create blends, subtle variations in light, unique lines and brushwork, as well as a myriad of other benefits that acrylics lack. Oils never look chalky, and require no additional layers to eliminate the "dry" look. Your belief that "Oil has simply been replaced by a far superior product." has no basis in reality other than in your own mind. Artists who paint in Oil are just as plentiful as artists who paint in acrylic, and in fact, the scale probably tips in the direction of Oil not acrylic. Either way it does not matter. The medium is inconsequential if the artist is producing work that they are proud of.

Also, before you claim that Oil paints create a "lifeless, dull, impassionate greasy look" I would suggest you do a few of your so called "ridiculous amount of color studies" with a tube or two of oil paint and then tell us how dull the paint appears.

And by the way when an artist who is painting with oils reaches a stopping point on a particular canvas they don't need to "find ways to occupy their time while the paint dries" they simply move to another canvas. Personally, I have three canvases going right now and move back and forth between them so as to not have to leave the "zone" once I am in it. I feel confident that am not alone in this practice. I've had up to five pieces going at once and never find myself thinking, "damn this oil paint...now I have to wait." It's NEVER happened.